Vanderbilt PG Frankie Collins medically cleared to return from knee injury

Vanderbilt is set to receive a massive upgrade at the right time in the 2025-2026 college basketball season. Head coach Mark Byington confirmed that veteran point guard Frankie Collins has recovered from the knee injury that previously threatened his season and is set to return in the coming weeks.

Byington told reporters after Vanderbilt’s win over Ole Miss that Collins has been medically cleared to return from the knee injury, via Tyler Jorden of ESPN. Byington said he hopes the fifth-year guard can return by the end of the Commodores’ “bye week,” with them not playing again until Feb. 7.

“Frankie’s medically cleared, so we just got to get him going. Hopefully, this bye week’s the one, but he’s got to push himself and get ready. We counted on him, we invested in him, and he’s a guy who can really help us win, so hopefully, he’s got the same motivation to get back.”

BREAKING: Mark Byington says Frankie Collins has been medically cleared to play. pic.twitter.com/aTOXvDfwt4

— Tyler Jorden (@tylernjorden) February 1, 2026

Collins has been out since Dec. 17, with what Byington initially deemed was a “minor” injury. Reports later claimed that he had torn his meniscus, a development the 49-year-old coach vehemently denied before avoiding the subject altogether until readdressing it on Saturday.

Collins averaged 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals in nine games off the bench at the time of his injury. He had been meshing well with star guard Tyler Tanner before their momentum got disrupted by his prolonged absence.

Vanderbilt hoping Frankie Collins’ return offsets injury woes

If Vanderbilt gets Collins back soon, his return would offset another recent guard injury. The Commodores just lost another fifth-year senior, Duke Miles, who had knee surgery on Wednesday.

Miles had been Tanner’s primary running mate all season and was second on the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game. He also led the team with 2.8 steals per game while contributing 3.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per night.

Without either Collins or Miles, Vanderbilt’s offense has been a complete one-man show. Aside from Tanner, Collins and Miles are the only two players on the team who average more than 2.0 assists per game.

The guard absences have not hurt Vanderbilt too much. The Commodores enter their pseudo-bye week on a three-game win streak, which came on the heels of a three-game skid.

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