K-State’s newest recruit will reportedly get more NIL money than Coleman Hawkins
Much was made of the fact that Kansas State gave Coleman Hawkins an NIL deal worth approximately $2 million to play basketball for the Wildcats last season.
It was a major talking point when he signed with K-State. It was a distraction for him throughout his time in Manhattan. And he said he regretted that the number became public information after his college eligibility expired.
“If I could go back, man, I’d definitely do some things differently,” Hawkins said in March. “It’s just hard when you have expectations. It feels like everything falls back on you, like there’s a spotlight on you. Maybe that’s just me painting a picture in my head, but it’s just hard.”
With that in mind, it is certainly newsworthy that Kansas State’s newest basketball recruit will reportedly earn even more NIL money than Hawkins did after he arrives on campus this summer.
Andrej Kostic, a 6-foot-5 guard from Serbia who averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for Dynamic Balkan Bet in his country’s U18 league, is set to make $2.5 million with the Wildcats, according to a report from college basketball reporter Adam Zagoria.
Serbian media reported that Kostic committed to K-State on a NIL deal worth around $1 million. But Zagoria later reported that Kostic’s true value was “more than double” that number.
NIL money is a touchy subject at K-State after everything Hawkins went through last season, so don’t expect that number to be confirmed on the record by anyone in Manhattan.
But it is worth pointing out that a $2.5 million NIL deal is no longer viewed the same way it was last year. Certain players, including Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, are looking at a $4 million payday next season.
NIL spending has ballooned this offseason as coaches race to sign players to deals before the expected start of revenue sharing, which will allow schools to share up to $20.5 million with players but severely restrict outside payments from collectives.
When Hawkins committed to K-State, he was thought to be the highest paid player in all of college basketball. That put a proverbial target on his back and raised expectations for him to unreasonable levels.
Even though he was one of K-State’s best player last season as he averaged 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists, many were disappointed in his play. He was also often heckled by crowds when K-State played road games. Few thought he was worth $2 million.
It would be interesting to see how differently things might have played out for him had his NIL deal been considered closer to average than the highest in the country.
That is likely how fans will view Kostic and the rest of Jerome Tang’s incoming recruiting class, which also features Akron guard Nate Johnson, Monmouth guard Abdi Bashir and UNCW forward Khamari McGriff.
The cost of building a college basketball team is going up, and that is reflected in NIL deal that Kostic will command on his way to K-State.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 12:43 PM with the headline "K-State’s newest recruit will reportedly get more NIL money than Coleman Hawkins."