Mason Nicholson Transfers to Vanderbilt for 2025-26 Season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Forward Mason Nicholson is set to join the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team for the 2025-26 season after spending the past two years at Jacksonville State. The 6-foot-10 player started 35 of 36 games during his junior year with the Gamecocks, where he averaged 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season.

“Mason has tremendous size and is extremely motivated to be a really good player in the SEC,” said Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington. “At Jacksonville State, he showed his ability to be physical, change the game defensively and drastically improve each year. He is extremely coachable and will be ready to impact our team.”

During his last season with Jax State, Nicholson scored in double figures 10 times, including a career-high 20 points in a January game against Western Kentucky. He also recorded 12 rebounds in that game, marking one of his four double-doubles this past season.

In addition to his scoring, he grabbed double-digit rebounds in nine games, highlighted by a career-high 14 rebounds against Georgia State in November. Last season, Nicholson faced high-major competition and averaged eight points and nine rebounds in matches against Missouri and Georgia Tech.

Nicholson’s journey began at Northwest Florida State, where he started his college career. After redshirting in the 2022-23 season due to injury, he played two seasons at Jacksonville State. He hails from Gary, Indiana, where he played alongside new Vanderbilt teammate Jalen Washington at Gary West Side Leadership Academy.