Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington brings Jaylen Carey with him from James Madison

Updated May. 15, 2024 2:22 p.m. ET

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Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington has landed a second portal transfer in as many days, this time forward Jaylen Carey following him from James Madison to his new job.

Byington was hired by Vanderbilt after coaching James Madison to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He added guard MJ Collins from Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

Carey is a 6-foot-8 forward who played every game as a freshman for James Madison, including both NCAA Tournament games. He averaged 7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, finishing the season shooting an average 66.9%.

“He is extremely talented, I know he belongs at the highest level of basketball, which is the SEC," Byington said Wednesday. "He is a physical presence but also has a great feel for making the right play. He will be used all over the floor with his ability to shoot 3s, make plays for his teammates and score inside.”

Carey is the younger brother of 2020 NBA draft pick Vernon Carey Jr. Their father Vernon Carey Sr. was an All-American offensive tackle at Miami before playing eight seasons in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.

He will have three years of eligibility at Vanderbilt.

Belmont added 6-3 guard Carter Whitt, who started his career at Wake Forest and played the past two seasons at Furman. Whitt has played 112 career games. Whitt averaged 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 33 games with Furman.

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