Vanderbilt’s basketball roster is more of a “who’s new” than a “who’s who.” First-year Commodores coach Mark Byington, also among the program’s new faces, is rebuilding through the transfer portal. Here’s a look at new additions to the Vanderbilt roster:

Mark Byington

Age: 48

Preps: Led Salem (Virginia) High School as a freshman to a 26-1 record and the 1994 AA state championship; his No. 32 has been retired by the school.

College: A guard at UNC Wilmington, Byington scored 1,088 career points and was named both second-team All-CAA and to the league’s All-Defensive Team as a senior.

Coaching: Following a nine-year stint as an assistant at the College of Charleston and one season at Virginia Tech, he was hired at Georgia Southern, where he went 131–97 in seven seasons, including 20-win campaigns his final three years. In 2021, he was hired by James Madison and steered the Dukes to an 82-36 record over four years, including a 32-4 mark his final season and advancing to the NCAA round of 32 with a win of No. 5 seed Wisconsin.

Byington brought in 10 transfers and has only one holdover from last year’s team, 6-8 sophomore JaQualon “JQ” Roberts.

The official Vanderbilt roster lists every player as a point guard, and Byington explains that he wants them to play with a point guard mentality.

“We were able to find guys who had different measures of success, where they were before, and they’re excited to be at Vanderbilt, and we’ve got to try to put them together quickly.”

Since you can’t tell the players without a scorecard anyway, Byington identified several key players he foresees in his regular rotation:

#11 AJ Hoggard, 6-4, 220, graduate

Last year: Michigan State (NCAA Tournament). Averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 assists; one of three Spartans in past 30 years to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 300 rebounds.

Coach’s comment: “AJ is an experienced guard from Michigan State who played in the NCAA Tournament, played in big games. Obviously, we’re going to lean on him.”

#5 Tyler Nickel, 6-7, 220, junior

Last year: Virginia Tech (NIT). Averaged 8.8 points and hit career-high 24 points in Tech’s 87-72 win over Clemson.

Coach’s comment: “Tyler has played really well, shot the ball really well, and and we’re going to need him to be aggressive.”

#4 Grant Huffman, 6-4,

190, graduate

Last year: Davidson. Averaged career-bests of 12.8 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds; had back-to-back 24-point outings.

Coach’s comment: “He’s really impressed me with his competitiveness and his toughness. We’re better when he’s on the court than when he’s off the court.”

#1 Jason Edwards, 6-1, 175, junior

Last year: North Texas (NIT). Averaged 19.4 points per game and had five 30-point games including a 37-point effort against Tulane).

Coach’s comment: “Our most explosive scorer. He’s super quick and probably will be the quickest guy on the court. He has the ability to score quickly.”

#2 MJ Collins Jr., 6-4, 190, junior

Last year: Virginia Tech (NIT). Scored in double figures 11 times, including a career-high 20 points against Louisville

Coach’s comment: “We’ll have trouble keeping him off the court. He’s extremely versatile and I think he’s really coming along with how we want to play and what we want to stand for, what we want.”

#12 Alex Hemenway, 6-4, 190, graduate

Last year: Clemson (NCAA). Battled plantar fasciitis most of the year, averaged 6-9 points.

Coach’s comment: “A guy who’s coming back from injury, who hasn’t quite gotten himself in there yet – but I expect them to be probably our best shooter. He can really, really shoot it and he’s just got to get healthy and get back on the court.”

#22 Jaylen Carey, 6-8, 265, sophomore

Last year: James Madison (NCAA). Scored in double figures nine times including a 13-point effort in the Sun Belt championship win to advance to the NCAA field of 64.

Coach’s comment: “He’s playing well and it shows that he’s familiar with our style and system even though it’s only his second year in college. But compared to some of the other guys, he’s just more familiar and comfortable and he’s way better than he’s ever been.”

#99 Devin McGlockton, 6-7, 230, junior

Last year: Boston College (NIT). Averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, helped BC reach the NIT.

Coach’s comment: “Devin has been a really good player for us so far. We’re excited about his growth. He’s tough and can play an undersized post player, but also can play on the wing.”

#3 Tyler Tanner, 6-0, 170, freshman

Last year: Brentwood Academy. The two-time Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year (2022-23, 2023-24) led BA to the TSSAA Division II-AA state crown as a junior and got them back to the state championship game as a senior. Scored 2,419 career points and averaged 26.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists as a senior.

Coach's comment: “Tyler has got a chance to not just be good and get on the court this year, but I think he’s got a chance to be a really, really good player and we’re excited about his growth.”