The Vanderbilt Commodores have found its next leader of the Men’s Basketball program. One day after losing to Duke in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament, James Madison has lost its head coach in Mark Byington.

Less than two weeks after firing Jerry Stackhouse after the Commodores went 9-23, Vanderbilt hired Byington on Monday to be its next head coach. The news was reported by ESPN.

“Vanderbilt is getting an extraordinary coach and person in Mark Byington. From our first conversations, Coach Byington impressed me with his competitiveness, his intensity, his passion for developing young men on and off the court, his love for the game, and his plan to elevate Vanderbilt men’s basketball to new levels of success,” Candice Storey Lee said.

Byington will leave James Madison after coaching the Dukes for three seasons. The 47-year-old led James Madison to a 32-4 season which featured a Sun Belt Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament win over the Wisconsin Badgers on March 22. Before coaching at James Madison, Byington was the head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles for seven seasons.

Byington will look to bring the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Next season, Vanderbilt will be without star point guard Ezra Manjon. The Commodores have also seen Tyrin Lawrence, Colin Smith, Paul Lewis, Lee Dort and Jason Rivera-Torres enter the transfer portal. While Vanderbilt’s roster may look a lot different in the 2024-25 campaign, Byington will have several open scholarships to fill via the transfer portal and through recruiting this offseason.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be the head Men’s Basketball coach at Vanderbilt University. I know Commodore fans are eager for success and we will get there together,” Byington said. “I was blown away by the passion and enthusiasm of Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee and Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. We share the same vision that Vanderbilt basketball belongs as one of the nation’s elite programs. I look forward to meeting the fans, alumni, students and all of Commodore Nation. Our time is coming. Get ready!!!”