Vanderbilt made what has clearly been a fantastic head coaching hire when bringing Mark Byington to town back in 2024. His first two seasons in Nashville have both ended with trips to the NCAA Tournament, with the Commodores really exceeding expectations last year. That team won 27 games, tied for 4th in a tough SEC race, and won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in fourteen years.
There is a long list of great players from that team who won’t be back in Nashville, but the news is far from bad with the return of Tyler Tanner. Vanderbilt’s star point guard really blossomed, putting up nearly 20 points per game last season and should be even more impactful for the Commodores as a junior. There’s not a lot of other returning talent, leaving Byington and his staff the need to replace Duke Miles, Tyler Nickel, and a whole host of other faces.
Some reinforcements have come from the recruiting trail, with a haul that includes a trio of 4-stars and a few other notable names. Top 100 prospects Anthony Brown and Ethan Mgbako should certainly feature in the rotation this season. As for transfers, perhaps the most talented of the crew is Sebastian Williams-Adams from Auburn, a forward who showed great potential as a freshman. Vanderbilt also grabbed T. O. Barrett from Missouri, Berke Buyuktuncel from Nebraska, and Bangot Dak out of Colorado, with all three likely seeing major minutes in this new-look lineup.
Jumping out
One could easily focus on Williams-Adams or another of those additions, but Ace Glass III gets our attention for a few key reasons. The 6-3 guard out of Rialto, California was electric as a true freshman at Washington State, averaging 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for the Cougars. He was named Second Team All-WCC and to the league’s All-Freshman team while finishing Top 5 in the conference in scoring, free throw percentage, and a few other offensive metrics.
There’s an undeniable transition from the WCC to the SEC but let’s look at the potential here. Glass stands out as an excellent scorer who made 36% of his 3-pointers and slides nicely into a major role in the backcourt. Should Glass take a nice step forward like Tanner did last year as a sophomore, then this could be one of the best backcourt duos in the country. Nobody’s expecting Glass to become a household name like Tanner, but it’s easy to see the potential with his high usage and efficiency as a freshman.
You could easily argue that Williams-Adams or Buyuktuncel are more important immediately in the frontcourt, especially with Barrett also coming to this backcourt with SEC experience. However, we’re looking at the true potential here. We’re not saying Glass is going to average 16 points a game, but he can certainly be that type of player and help replenish a lot of the depth and scoring talent that was lost in the offseason. There are some great new pieces in Nashville and this team will be in fantastic shape if Glass of all people is playing like a star.
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