Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner has officially declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, per Joe Tipton of On3. This announcement is not necessarily unexpected, as Tanner is projected to be a late first round pick by many scouting sites. This announcement does leave the door open for him to return to Vanderbilt, though — he will get to participate at the draft combine in Chicago from May 10-17 and  then have 10 days to decide if he wants to return to school.

Tanner was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer in the 2025-26 season, acting as the team’s primary point guard. He averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, earning him several postseason accolades, including First Team All-SEC and an All-American Honorable Mention.  

The Brentwood, Tennessee, native has shown to be a true three-level scorer while possessing an elite handle. He is exceptional at driving and finishing at the rim, all while being a consistent threat from deep. Not to mention, he’s fantastic at drawing contact and shot an 85% clip from the charity stripe this season. Defensively, he has some of the quickest hands in college basketball and wreaks havoc on opposing guards in transition, as evidenced by his 2.4 steals per game in 2025-26. 

This is perhaps the most significant announcement that’s occurred for Vanderbilt this offseason, and Byington will now have to account for a potential key departure. The rising third-year head coach has already brought in a stacked transfer portal class, though, which includes forwards Berke Buyuktuncel, Bangot Dak and Sebastian Williams-Adams as well as guards Ace Glass and T.O. Barrett.