Men’s Basketball: MJ Collins Jr. to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Vanderbilt will lose its sixth player of the offseason and Collins, a formwr Virginia Tech transfer, will enter the portal.

Connor Campbell

MJ Collins Jr. dunks on a defender, as photographed on Jan. 19, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/Connor Campbell)

By Aiden Rutman, Sports Editor

Mar 31, 2025

MJ Collins Jr. plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3 Sports. The 6’4 guard tied his career best with an average of 7.4 points per game for the Commodores this season. He shot career highs from the field (42.0%) and 3-point range (29.3%) in his first and only year with Vanderbilt.

The South Carolina native played 20.3 minutes per game this year and looked to be playing his best basketball down the stretch after a 16-point performance in Vanderbilt’s upset over Texas A&M. An injury derailed the end of his season, though; he missed the team’s final regular season game against Georgia before playing just 11 and 3 minutes against Texas and Saint Mary’s, respectively.

Collins joins a growing list of Commodores to enter the portal. He is now the sixth player from this season’s team to depart Mark Byington’s program. JQ Roberts, Jason Edwards and Jaylen Carey, all contributors to this year’s NCAA Tournament team, are also in the portal.

About the Contributors

Aiden Rutman, Sports Editor

Aiden Rutman (‘25) is a student in Peabody College majoring in human and organizational development and minoring in communication studies. He formerly produced The Hustler’s sports podcast, Live from West End. In addition to writing and podcasting, Aiden is an avid New York sports fan. He loves playing sports, spending time outdoors and trying new foods. You can reach him at aiden.s.rutman@vanderbilt.edu.

Connor Campbell, Senior Staffer

Connor Campbell (’25) is a human and organizational development and cinema and media arts major from Staten Island, N.Y. Connor shares a strong love for both sports and film, leading to his interest in The Ringer and, consequently, his casual and quippy style of writing. Outside of The Hustler, Connor does freelance photography, runs the social media accounts for Vanderbilt Club Hockey and Camp Kesem’s Vanderbilt Chapter and is the president of Vanderbilt Tap That. You can reach him at connor.v.campbell@vanderbilt.edu.

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