Coleman Hawkins will finish his collegiate career elsewhere.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Hawkins plans to opt out of the 2024 NBA Draft and transfer to a new program for his final season of eligibility.
“Hawkins is projected to be one of the highest-paid NIL college basketball players and is using his final year of eligibility to develop,” Charania wrote to X.
Illinois' Coleman Hawkins is withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft and transferring to a new program, the forward said. Athletic @StadiumHawkins is projected to be one of the highest-paid NIL college basketball players and is using his final year of eligibility to develop.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 30, 2024
Hawkins declared for the NBA draft in April after becoming the first player to spend four years with Brad Underwood's program in Champaign, where he won two Big Ten tournaments, won a Big Ten championship in the regular season, was named to the All-Big Ten team and led Illinois to the second week of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
“I guess this is my last year in an Illinois jersey,” Hawkins said after Illinois' Elite Eight loss to UCONN. “I feel like I've accomplished a lot these last four years, but I guess all good things come to an end.”
Hawkins later announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft and transfer portal, saying he “100% intends to enter the 2024 NBA Draft” but “want to take every opportunity to protect myself in the event of injury or other unforeseen circumstances in the future.”
“I love the University of Illinois and am proud to have earned my degree here,” Hawkins concluded. “Illinois will always be my home.”
As a senior at Illinois, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field.
