Vanderbilt men add two more transfers

In the first few weeks following the end of Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball season, Commodores players beat a path to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

In more recent weeks, Vandy is reaping portal dividends.

New Commodores coach Mark Byington has landed his fifth and sixth additions, as former North Texas guard Jason Edwards and ex-Boston College forward Devin McGlockton committed to Vandy, per multiple reports and the players’ social media accounts.

Belmont and Tennessee State have made recent portal additions as well.

A rising junior with two years of eligibility remaining, Edwards spent just one season at North Texas, earning first-team all-league honors in the American Athletic Conference after averaging 19.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He started 22 of 34 games last season for the Mean Green (19-15), who posted a 19-15 record and advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

An Atlanta native, Edwards scored at least 30 points in five games last season, including 37 in a win over Tulane. He made eight-of-10 three-point shots in that contest. In a victory over Memphis (also an AAC member), Edwards scored 30 points, making seven-of-nine three-point attempts.

Overall, Edwards shot 43 percent from the field, including 35 percent from three-point range.

Edwards played for Dodge City (Kansas) Community College in 2022-23 and for Miles College in Alabama the previous year.

McGlockton is a rising junior who started all 36 games for Boston College last season, averaging 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. He shot 58 percent from the field overall, including 38 percent (22-of-60) from three-point range.

A Cumming, Ga., native, the 6-7, 230-pound McGlockton also contributed as a freshman for the Eagles, averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Edwards and McGlockton join guard MJ Collins (Va. Tech), guard/forward Tyler Nickel (Va. Tech), guard Grant Huffman (Davidson) and forward Jaylen Carey (James Madison) as roster additions for the 2024-25 season.

In other portal news, Belmont has added former University of Memphis combo forward Jonathan Pierre, per reports and Pierre’s social media account. The 6-9, 210-pound Florida native, a rising senior, played 19 games for the Tigers last season, averaging 1.8 points and 0.7 rebounds. He joins guards Carter Whitt and Brody Peebles as transfer additions for Belmont, which lost its leading three scorers from last season to the portal.

Tennessee State recently added Ahmir Langlais, a 6-8, 218-pound forward who averaged 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game last season at the University of South Carolina Upstate, per reports. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Eight Vanderbilt players entered the portal following the end of the 2023-24 season and the firing of former coach Jerry Stackhouse. That list includes: forwards Colin Smith, Lee Dort and Carter Lang, as well as guards Tyrin Lawrence, Jason Rivera-Torres, Paul Lewis, Isaiah West and Malik Presley.

In addition, point guard Ezra Manjon, Vandy’s leading scorer in 2023-24, has exhausted his eligibility.

The only returning contributors from last season at this point are forwards Ven-Allen Lubin and JQ Roberts, as well as guard Jordan Williams.

Byington was hired after leading James Madison University to four straight winning seasons, posting a combined overall record of 54-15 in his last two years there.