Vanderbilt forward Kijani Wright enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Vanderbilt forward Kijani Wright has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Jamie Shaw. Wright transferred to Vanderbilt last offseason but didn’t play this season due to an undisclosed health condition.

“With Kijani, we’re just going to miss, right now for temporary, his spirit, his energy, and his enthusiasm,” Byington said on October 8 last year. “We’ll support him, and I think that we’ll get him back at some point. It could be this year. If we have to wait until next year, we’ll wait until next year. But he’ll be back with us.

“Kijani has a medical condition, and it was a serious medical condition. So we’re at the point now where he’s healthy, but second opinions, third opinions. There’ll be more follow-ups. Then they’ll get the issue resolved, and that’s the point when we’ll know more about his return to the team and his availability to the team.”

It appears Wright will make a return to the hardwood but not for the Commodores. Before transferring to Vanderbilt last offseason, Wright spent two seasons at USC. He amassed 57 appearances for the Trojans.

In his sophomore season at USC, Wright averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game. He shot 58.4% from the field and didn’t attempt any 3-pointers. Wright has scored his career-high of 12 points twice in his career.

Kijani Wright played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon (CA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 52 overall player and No. 9 power forward in the 2022 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Wright is the eighth Vanderbilt player to enter the transfer portal this offseason. The Commodores have suffered several significant losses, including Jason Edwards and Jaylen Carey.

To combat its losses, Vanderbilt has added four players via the transfer portal. Most notably, Commodores head coach Mark Byington reeled in former North Carolina power forward Jalen Washington. Vanderbilt currently has the No. 38 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

This past season was Byington’s first at the helm of the Commodores. He led Vanderbilt to a 20-13 overall record and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.