Vanderbilt lands MJ Collins

Virginia Tech transfer Tyler Nickel has company and Vanderbilt has another real weapon.

Former Virginia Tech guard MJ Collins has committed to Vanderbilt with two years of eligibility remaining.

As a sophomore, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 34.8% from the field and 26.5% from 3-point range.

Collins was teammates and classmates with Nickel, who committed to Vanderbilt last week, in his time at Virginia Tech.

The Vanderbilt commit was a three-star guard out of high school that held offers from Clemson and Xavier in addition to Virginia Tech.

Collins is Vanderbilt's third transfer portal commit and surely will not be its last.

Breaking down Collins' game:

Collins doesn't jump off the page as a superstar on the offensive end but is a big, physical, versatile guard that has done it before at the power five level.

The Virginia Tech transfer started 28 of the Hokies 32 games in 2023-24 while scoring in double figures in 11 games.

Collins was inefficient from the field in his first two college seasons but does have ability at all three levels.

The 6-foot-4 guard needs improvement as 3-point shooter and shooter in the midrange but can get to his spots at times for clean looks on jumpers and can use his physicality to finish around the rim, where he shot 50% in 2023-24.

Collins is also a capable secondary ballhandler that may have more opportunity as the primary one in his new situation. The Virginia Tech guard posted a 16% assist rate in his sophomore season.

The Virginia Tech guard is also regarded as an above average defender that spent time on opposing team's best guards for most of his sophomore season.

Collins will likely be a capable scorer and a piece that really helps Vanderbilt because of what he can do without scoring but not its leading offensive producer.

How Collins fits:

As Collins was at Virginia Tech, he projects to be a significant piece for Vanderbilt that will likely come in and start immediately.

The 6-foot-4 guard can play both backcourt spots at an effective level but projects to most as an off-ball guard, although he may be the best ballhandler currently on Vanderbilt's roster.

Collins also seems to be an effective offensive option that Vanderbilt will rely on to create his own shot and work the pick and roll to do so for others.

Perhaps the biggest effect of Collins will be his ability to take on challenges defensively to free up the rest of Vanderbilt's backcourt.

The role for Collins isn't fully clear yet, but it will be significant.