Vanderbilt basketball got the biggest news of its offseason after guard Tyler Tanner announced his return to the Commodores on May 27.
Tanner’s withdrawal from the 2026 NBA Draft cements him as one of the top players in college basketball in 2026-27 and Vanderbilt as a preseason top 25 team for coach Mark Byington.
The Commodores’ roster will be different with just three returning players. While the 2025-26 team had lots of shooting, the 2026-27 roster has more size and projects to be better defensively.
With one scholarship open, there is still the possibility of Vanderbilt pursuing a high school player or overseas player. But the roster is mostly set with limited transfer options still available.
Here’s how the Commodores’ roster shakes out:
Who’s returning: Tyler Tanner, Jr., Chandler Bing, So.
Who’s departing: Duke Miles, Frankie Collins, Tyler Nickel, Mike James, Tyler Harris
Additions: Ace Glass, So.; T.O. Barrett, Jr., Anthony Brown, Fr.
Tanner was the key piece to this roster, and his return will once again make Vanderbilt one of the country’s most electric backcourts. Tanner can do it all. He can score, defend and facilitate.
Glass, who should be the starter at shooting guard, is a different player from Miles. Where Miles was undersized, Glass is 6-foot-3 and brings more rebounding ability. While Miles could switch off with Tanner at lead guard, Glass is more of a combo-guard who figures to play mostly off the ball. He can bring three-level scoring.
Barrett, meanwhile, should fill the role that Frankie Collins was supposed to: a guard who can provide facilitation and defense off the bench. Barrett isn’t a shooter, but he can get to the rim. Four-star freshman Anthony Brown is a high-upside athlete as well.
At the wing position, the Commodores retained defensive ace Chandler Bing, who could play a much larger role if he can improve his scoring ability. The only other true wing on the roster is four-star freshman Ethan Mgbako, as Vanderbilt opted to fortify its frontcourt rather than go after the wing position.
There are three other freshman guards on the roster: Chase Byington, Mavrick Hawkins and Baylor Allen. But none of them project for big roles right away.
Who’s returning: Jayden Leverett, So.
Who’s departing: Devin McGlockton, Jalen Washington, AK Okereke, Mason Nicholson
Additions: Bangot Dak, Sr.; Berke Buyuktuncel, Sr.; Sebastian Williams-Adams, So.; Jackson Sheffield, Fr.
Versatile forwards were the primary target for Vanderbilt in the portal. Dak was a big addition. The Colorado transfer is a 7-footer with some guard skills, as he can pass and handle the ball in addition to post scoring, rim protection and rebounding. He can shoot from mid-range, though he’s not much of a 3-point threat.
Buyuktuncel, who transferred from the Nebraska team that beat the Commodores in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, is an elite defender and rebounder with a fairly limited offensive skillset. Williams-Adams, a transfer from Auburn, is an elite athlete and another strong defender who was inconsistent offensively as a freshman.
Leverett is an intriguing breakout candidate. As a freshman, he had limited minutes but showed efficient post scoring and rim protection.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
