Kansas State Paying Illinois Transfer Coleman Hawkins $2 Million Really Amplifies Charles Barkley NIL Comments

Here we go again, another college basketball player's NIL contract being leaked to the public so that the agent looks good in the process. Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins has reportedly agreed to a $2 million deal to play for Kansas State next season. 

The news was first reported by Shams Charania, who says he believes this is the most lucrative college basketball deal to be associated with NIL, pointing out that agents Nate Conley and Aaron Turner negotiated the deal. 

We have now reached the point in NIL negotiations that college basketball players are making more than some top-tier college football players. But the question should center around what happens when Kansas State is bumped from the NCAA Tournament after the first weekend. 

Is paying an Illinois transfer who averaged 12.1 points per game, along with 6 rebounds, worth upwards of $2 million to play basketball for a season? I mean, if the boosters around campus want to spend their money on trying to win a national championship, have at it. 

Kansas State Boosters Certainly Don't Agree With Charles Barkley

But this reminds me of a conversation Charles Barkley had with Dan Dakich last week, which led to a discussion on Barkley spending money on NIL for his former school, Auburn. Barkley had no problem calling out Auburn for hitting him up for money, but at the same time not getting a return on investment. 

"If I am gonna give a guy a couple million, which is crazy to even think about because we're paying a guy a couple million to go to school for six months. What's the benefit to the school?," Charles Barkley told Dan Dakich. "Football is a little bit different, cause at least you get three years of them. But if I'm gonna pay a basketball player two million dollars, and he's only going to be on campus for six months and it's kinda hard to throw a bunch of guys together, and we lose in the first or second round, i don’t understand how that helps the program."

OMAHA, Neb. - Coleman Hawkins of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates during the first half of the game against the Duquesne Dukes during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at CHI Health Center on March 23. (Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Don’t forget that last month, Great Osobor transferred from Utah State to Washington for a reported $2 million NIL deal. Regarding the deal that Coleman Hawkins agreed to with Kansas State, ON3 is reporting that the money is coming from a group of donors, not the Wildcats collective. 

So once again, we have boosters pumping money into individual players hoping for a massive return on investment. What does someone who signs with a school for that much do for NIL activities if the money came from outside donors? 

I have no idea, but if the ON3 report is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt that it is, this is just another example of the ‘pay-for-play’ system that has taken over college athletics. 

Good luck, Kansas State. If the Wildcats end up flaming out next season, I'm sure those donors will be thrilled with their investment in the program.