Exclusive: Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Names Tyler Tanner An All-American

Vanderbilt basketball star Tyler Tanner is getting All-American honors prior to the 2026-27 season.

Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) shoots for two during the first half of the SEC tournament championship game against Arkansas at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball star Tyler Tanner has been named a preseason First-Team All-American in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Vandy on SI has learned.

Tanner averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and just 1.9 turnovers per game while shooting 48.5% from the field as well as 36.8% from 3-point range in 2025-26. He was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer and started to draw buzz in regard to the NBA Draft as Vanderbilt began conference play, but opted to pull his name from the draft in favor of returning to Vanderbilt.

“Tyler Tanner will be the engine of one of the top teams in the SEC, which also means one of the top teams in the nation,” Blue Ribbon publisher Chris Dortch told Vandy on SI. “He’s an exceptional two-way player who values ball security but is also great at making steals. He’s become a confident scorer, too.”

In addition to being named a Blue Ribbon All American, Tanner is also one of five players in the country to be included on the magazine’s cover–alongisde Florida wing Thomas Haugh, UConn guard Braylon Mullins, Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears and BYU guard Robert Wright III. 

Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner is on the cover of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. | Chris Dortch

Blue Ribbon describes itself as a comprehensive preview magazine that “impacts the college season from start to finish. It declares that "Coaches prize it as the first step in their opponent scouting process. NCAA tournament selection committee members use the book throughout the season as they track teams worthy enough to earn a spot in the bracket. Television commentators from ESPN, CBS and other networks rely on Blue Ribbon for their preparation, as do radio play-by-play announcers and print media. And NBA scouts use the book as a tool to help them find the next generation of talent.” 

The magazine is available for preorder here. The digital copies release in September while the physical ones ship in October.

Blue Ribbon is one of the first national publications to appoint Tanner as a preseason All-American, but won’t likely be the last. Dortch estimates that Tanner is Vanderbilt’s first preseason All-American in Blue Ribbon since at least the Kevin Stallings era.

"He's gonna get a lot of attention, and it will not change him one bit," Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington told Vandy on SI. "He will not feel any kind of pressure, and he really won't react to it. That's who he is, his upbringing and what he's about. But everything that he gets is deserving of because of how he played last year."