Elijah Hawkins follows trend that could reshape college basketball

In the modern era of college athletics, there is no telling what the latest trend is going to be. The newest has been for players who are out of eligibility to enter the transfer portal, just in case the NCAA grants a fifth year to athletes this summer. Tuesday, just before the spring transfer portal window closed, Texas Tech guard Elijah Hawkins did what so many of his peers have done in recent days and put his name in the portal just to keep his options open.

According to multiple sources on social media, Hawkins was one of a number of players who entered the portal on Tuesday night despite being out of eligibility under the current rules. Now, he will wait to find out if the NCAA changes its eligibility rules so that he can return to the college ranks.

Of course, the Red Raiders would likely welcome him back with open arms. That is because this program needs to find another guard to play next to sophomore Christian Anderson and help him handle the duties of running the offense.

In fact, many suggest that finding a way to play Anderson in more of a shooting guard role would be best for both Anderson and the Red Raiders. Thus, it is believed that head coach Grant McCasland and his staff are actively trying to land a ball-dominant guard via the portal.

Hawkins' return would bolster the Texas Tech 2025-26 title hopes

There is no question that Hawkins was integral to the Red Raiders' success in 2024-25, especially as the season progressed. In fact, down the stretch, he was perhaps the team's most dependable guard.

Initially, Hawkins took a while to find his footing in Lubbock. From November through January 26 (the first 17 games he played at Tech), he averaged 8.7 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.

However, over the final 18 games of the season, he put up 9.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. What's more, in that span, he had ten double-figure games (as opposed to just six in the first 17 games of the season).

What's more, in half of the six postseason games Tech played, Hawkins was fantastic as both a distributor and a scorer. That was important given the injury that caused Chance McMillian to miss multiple weeks.

Against Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, he put up 12 points and 11 assists in the Red Raiders' narrow win. Then, when Tech outlasted UNC Wilmington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he nearly had a triple-double as he posted 14 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.

Finally, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, he gave Tech 16 points, seven assists, and three rebounds against Drake. Unfortunately, in the Sweet 16 against Arkansas, he scored only four points, and in the Elite Eight against Florida, he scored only three. Still, in those two games, he dished out five and seven assists, respectively.

Tech has made a huge investment this offseason in guards who can score, though. Anderson has been paid a reported $2 million to return, and transfers Donovan Atwell (13.3 points per game last season at UNC Greensboro) and Tyeree Bryan (10.4 points per game last season at Santa Clara) should help shoulder the scoring load in the backcourt next season.

However, there is a clear need for someone to facilitate the offense and play solid on-ball defense, something that Hawkins also did at a high level down the stretch. Thus, Texas Tech fans would be thrilled to see Hawkins return if the NCAA rule changes. By entering the portal ahead of Tuesday's deadline, he at least showed that he is considering that option this summer.