Could we see the return of Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell?
LUBBOCK - Former Texas Tech men's basketball players Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell are named in a lawsuit against the NCAA that seeks a fifth year of eligibility.
The suit is held in North Carolina and includes over 50 players who are citing the NCAA's new age-based eligibility guidelines.
The players' intended outcome is similar to what transpired with former Texas Tech transfer quarterback, who was granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA that allowed him to participate in the upcoming season.
Williams spent the 2025-26 season at NC State after helping lead the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight the season prior.
Atwell just went through graduation and senior day festivities at the end of his first year in Lubbock, which was among the most prolific long-range shooting seasons in school history.
"The age-based model calls for an athlete's eligibility clock upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier," says On3. "The age-based eligibility implementation will begin this summer. Recruits starting in 2027 are age-based only."
A previous lawsuit of this manner was recently successful for the student-athlete plaintiffs.
"An Ohio judge granted a preliminary injunction for 24 men's and women's college basketball players suing the NCAA for eligibility on the age-based eligibility model earlier this summer," On3 recalls. "The win has spurred another set of suits against the NCAA, with the latest now coming in North Carolina."
Williams spent two seasons with Texas Tech, averaging 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 67 career games from 2023 to 2025. Nicknamed "D5", Williams is fondly remembered for his go-ahead shot late in the 2024 NCAA tournament that proved to be a game-winner for the Red Raiders over John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sweet 16.
Atwell just this summer tried his hand at the NBA level after earning a roster spot on the Chicago Bulls' summer league roster.
The sharp-shooting lefty averaged 13.5 points per game last season for the Red Raiders on 45.8 percent shooting from the perimeter. Atwell knocked down 130 3-pointers to set a new single-season school record. The previous mark of 90 had been held for almost 30 years, according to Tech Athletics.
This week, both Williams and Atwell have been in Lubbock working out with each other and current Red Raiders on campus.
Currently, head coach Grant McCasland only has nine official roster spots filled for the upcoming 2026-27 season, meaning there could be room for Williams and Atwell to rejoin the program if granted a temporary injunction.
