It has been a few days since we have discussed where Texas Tech transfer forward Darrion Williams might ply his craft next season. However, new rumors about the first-team All-Big 12 selections have emerged and, unfortunately, they are not going to make Red Raiders happy.
That's because the most recent rumors suggest a new Big 12 team has entered the picture. Even worse, it is a school with a basketball program that most people around the country dislike...if not despise.
Multiple sources of varying credibility have posted on X in the past day that Williams may be headed to play for the Kansas Jayhawks if he returns to the college level. The most credible of those is college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, who addressed the Williams situation on The Field of 68 podcast.
Goodman stated on Wednesday's episode that Williams would be considering Kansas, Ohio State, and NC State if he doesn't stay in the NBA Draft (which is his preference). That's not what Red Raider fans want to hear.
Since then, several other sources have run with that information. In fact, many are outright prediciting that Williams will become a Jayhawks. Some are even saying that an announcement could come soon. While the validity of most of these reports are questionable at best, what Goodman says must be taken seriously.
"The hope from Darrion Williams' camp is that he's gonna get drafted and that he's not coming back to college. If he were to withdraw, Kansas, Ohio State and NC State would be involved" - @GoodmanHoops
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 24, 2025
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Texas Tech fans would hate to lose another star player to Kansas
While most Texas Tech basketball fans need to start to come to grips with the idea of Williams playing elsewhere next season, having to accept that he will square off against the Red Raiders in the Big 12 is hard to stomach. What's more, losing another star player to Kansas would be a worst-case scenario.
Kansas has the easiest basketball program in the Big 12 to hate. After years of dominating the conference, they have become an arrogant program with a fan base that looks down its nose at the rest of the conference despite the fact that they should have been humbled after a disastrous 2024-25 season.
What's more, Tech has already seen a fantastic Red Raider walk out the door and land in Lawrence. Prior to the 2022-23 season, guard Kevin McCullar Jr. left Lubbock after three seasons to play for Bill Self and Kansas.
As a Red Raider, McCullar Jr. was solid averaging 8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. However, as a Jayhawk, he became a national star averaging 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over his two seasons in Lawrence. That included a senior season in which he was a third-team All-American after posting 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 26 games before seeing his season end early due to an injury.
Fortunately, McCullar never had a huge game against the Red Raiders. In two games as a Texas Tech opponent, he averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. While Kansas won both of those games, it wasn't because McCullar simply went wild against his former school.
The hope is that Williams doesn't wind up following in McCullar's shoes. If he isn't going to be a Red Raider next year, a scenario that seems to be growing more likely with each passing day, then let's hope that he ends up playing professionally next season. But whatever happens, seeing him play for Kansas would be one of the worst outcomes for Red Raider fans.