Kansas State star Coleman Hawkins admits NIL criticism got to him in heartbreaking interview

Kansas State senior transfer Coleman Hawkins was nearly inconsolable while speaking to reporters after his college basketball career came to an end.

Hawkins initially left Illinois for the NBA Draft last year, but ultimately decided to continue his college basketball career by transferring to the Wildcats. Surely, the $2 million in NIL compensation that Hawkins was reportedly receiving helped lure him to Kansas State. But it also put added pressure on him to succeed with the Wildcats.

Wednesday night, Kansas State lost to Baylor 70-56 in the Big 12 tournament, effectively ending their season, with the Wildcats not expected to accept any postseason invites. And as Hawkins spoke about his disappointment through tears, the fifth-year senior also admitted some of the criticism he received throughout the season affected his play.

K-State senior Coleman Hawkins spoke through tears for a minute and a half after the loss to Baylor

“These guys haven’t experienced some of the things I experienced. I really wanted to come in an impact the program. I’m sorry for crying, but shit, this shit hurts” pic.twitter.com/YxJsR13TTR

— Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) March 13, 2025

“These guys haven’t experienced some of the things I’ve experienced,” Hawkins said. “I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I’m sorry for crying, but sh*t, this sh*t hurts…If someone asks me if I regret coming here. I tell them I don’t regret being on my team, the coaching staff, the people I met. My heart just breaks for them because like I said, they just haven’t experienced some of the things I experienced in my career.

“Same thing for the fans. I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play. It was happening all year. I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself, but for the team so we could have a more successful year. This is a learning lesson for me and I wish the best for the future of this program.”

Earlier in the season, Hawkins spoke about some of the social media attacks he was experiencing, telling reporters he can’t open his phone without seeing people with the worst for him.

Coleman Hawkins came to Kansas State with big expectations, not just because of the $2 million he was reportedly receiving in NIL compensation, but because of the four Big Ten championship teams he was a part of at Illinois. While NIL and the transfer portal are undoubtedly great opportunities for college athletes, those benefits can also place added pressure on individual athletes. With Hawkins exemplifying that this season, and Wednesday night.