Report: Kansas State Receiving Former Illinois Player Coleman Hawkins In Transfer Portal

Apparently, Kansas State has a football program strong enough for Coleman Hawkins.

That was one of the requirements for Hawkins if he was going to return to college for another season instead of testing the NBA waters. The former Illinois forward is reportedly set to join the Kansas State basketball team this season according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Hawkins will become the ninth player the Wildcats have received through the transfer portal. After playing a key role in helping the Illini reach the Elite Eight, he said his college days were over. He had a change of heart after participating in the NBA combine.

Sources: Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins – a 6-foot-10 F – has committed to play for Kansas State in what’s believed to be the most lucrative college basketball NIL deal ($2 million) negotiated from a collective by Nate Conley of Court XIV and Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2024

Hawkins had more earning power through seeking NIL deals at the NCAA level. According to Charania, has a deal worth $2 million. That is far more than what Hawkins would have received as an undrafted NBA free agent. He was projected as a late-second rounder.

Returning to college in Manhattan means Hawkins can be on campus with a Top 25 football team.

“I will never play in the Big 10 again. I wouldn’t play in the Big East,” Hawkins said in May at the Combine. “I will go somewhere where I can enjoy a football game. Some schools have reached out. I’ve just been honest with them. I haven’t wasted their time. I just flat out told them that’s not somewhere I would consider going.”

Hawkins' arrival makes the Wildcats a serious threat in the Big 12. He will bolster a frontcourt after
averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds for Illinois last season. He had five points and four rebounds in the loss to eventual champion UConn in the Elite Eight.

Hawkins is joined in the K-State portal by:

Achor Achor, Samford
Baye Fall, Arkansas
Brendan Hausen, Villanova
Mobi Ikegwuruka, Iowa Community College
C.J. Jones, Illinois-Chicago
Max Jones, Cal State-Fullerton
Dug McDaniel, Michigan
Ugonna Onyenso, Kentucky