What it Means: Vanderbilt Basketball Lands Colorado Transfer Bangot Dak – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
NASHVILLE—-Colorado transfer Bangot Dak has committed to Vanderbilt, per a Joe Tipton of On3.
Dak is a 7-foot, 203 pound center, who played three seasons for Colorado before entering the transfer portal. He’s the first 7-footer of the Mark Byington era at Vanderbilt.
In Dak, Vanderbilt is getting an 11.5 point per game scorer who shot 49.2% from the field, 25.9% from 3-point range and grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game. Dak also threw 1.4 assists per game.
Colorado finished the season 17-15 while going 7-11 in BIG 12 play. It started the season 8-0, but went 9-15 down the stretch. Dak was a bright spot, though, and was the team’s leading scorer in six games as well as the leading rebounder in 12 games. The 7-footer also demonstrated his explosiveness with a Rolodex of highlight-reel plays ranging from dunks to off the bounce makes from 3-point range. 
Dak joins a Vanderbilt team that went 27-9 in 2025-26 and went to the SEC Championship Game.  It always felt as if it was missing something inside, though, and Dak helps to compensate for that. He'll join a frontcourt that also features Nebraska transfer Berke Buyuktuncel and potentially AK Okereke. Dak is Vanderbilt's third trasferr portal addition and will play alongside Ace Glass as well as Buyuktuncel.
This was Dak’s first season in which he averaged double figures. His junior season averages were 8.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals per game
His final list of four schools included Miami, SMU and Oregon in addition to Vanderbilt. 
Vanderbilt had a previous connection to Dak through assistant coach Rick Ray, who helped to recruit him to Colorado in the first place. Dak was the poster child of the way that Colorado coach Tad Boyle wanted to develop players, but the Buffaloes’ staff couldn’t afford to keep him. Boyle said that was disheartening. 
In Dak, Vanderbilt landed a player with NBA size, ceiling and coordination in–who also is reminiscent of the type of bigs the NBA wants stylistically—but he’s not the traditional big in the sense that he’s going to work all that often in the low post. Dak almost plays more like a wing trapped in a 7-foot body than a true 7-footer. 
One program’s loss is another’s gain, though. Now, Vanderbilt has its big man.
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source