Although the number of scholarships available to the LSU basketball team has already been reached, Matt McMahon may yet add more players to his squad for the 2024–25 season. Even though he was without a scholarship, McMahon added walk-on big man Noah Boyed, a transfer.
Coleman Hawkins, an Illinois athlete who is rated as the top player available on the transfer portal, may be someone the Tigers consider signing. According to Joe Tipton of On3, Hawkins will pay LSU a visit on June 17.
For the Illini, the 6’10” forward averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Matt McMahon would have made a huge move if he were to acquire Hawkins, elevating the LSU Tigers to the top of the SEC. This offseason, McMahon recruited a ton of quality to the guard and wing positions, but the team had barely addressed the forward positions.
Although Hawkins recently visited Kansas State, LSU’s biggest rival for Hawkins seems to be them, though a return to Illinois is still a possibility.
Since LSU basketball has run out of scholarships, it should be easy to get Hawkins. Like they did with Noah Boyed, the Tigers can add Hawkins as a walk-on and offer him a NIL contract to help with his educational expenses.
Exploiting an NCAA loophole, Matt McMahon
Roster limits in collegiate sports are practically meaningless due to changes made to NCAA regulations. As they have done with Noah Boyer, it appears that Matt McMahon and his team are among the first programs to take advantage of this regulation. Due to the consequences of Will Wade’s tenure, McMahon was at a disadvantage, but he is making every effort to get above a scholarship cap.
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