Four-star center Jackson Sheffield announced his commitment to Vanderbilt basketball via social media Sept. 17.
Sheffield is 6-foot-9, 240 pounds and attends Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama. He has led Hoover, which went 35-0 last season, to three consecutive state titles.
He is the No. 104 player in the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports Composite. According to his 247Sports scouting report, Sheffield is a rim-runner, dunker and offensive rebounder as well as a strong defender in the post, but he lacks range in his offensive game.
His other offers included Maryland, Oklahoma and Mississippi State.
Sheffield is the second commitment in 2026 for Vanderbilt, the other being four-star, 6-6, 215-pound wing Ethan Mgbako out of Oak Hill Academy.
Both Mgbako and Sheffield outrank the three freshmen Vanderbilt brought in for the 2025 class: Chandler Bing, Jaylen Dean-Vines and Jayden Leverett. Key returning players are Tyler Tanner, Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton, and a number of players were obtained in the transfer portal, including two who add immediate size at 6-9 or taller: Jalen Washington out of North Carolina and Mason Nicholson from Jacksonville State.
In 2024-25, Mark Byington’s first season as coach at Vanderbilt, the Commodores made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.