K-State receives unfortunate eligibility update on transfer forward Tyreek Smith
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NCAA denied Tyreek Smith’s waiver request for extra college eligibility.
- Smith played at four schools before transferring to Kansas State in 2025.
- Kansas State loses forward depth as Smith exits without playing a game.
When Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang signed Tyreek Smith as a transfer from Memphis last winter, he did so expecting to add a talented forward to the 2025-26 roster.
But things didn’t work out that way.
Smith, who previously spent time at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, SMU and Memphis before he arrived in Manhattan, doesn’t have any college eligibility remaining. The NCAA denied his waiver request for an extra year of college hoops on Friday, which means his time with the Wildcats is over before he was able to play in his first game. “We’re disappointed for Tyreek with this ruling by the NCAA,” Tang said in a statement. “We wish they could’ve provided us better communication and transparency during this process and been more consistent with how the rules are applied as this process left both Tyreek and our program in limbo. “We want to thank Tyreek for his contributions to our program the past eight months, and we wish him the best as he takes the next step in his basketball career. We are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2025-26 season.” A 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward, Smith joined the Wildcats as a midseason transfer in January. He had petitioned the NCAA for an extra year of college eligibility after starting his career at Texas Tech in 2019-20. But it was not granted.
He received a medical redshirt as a true freshman before playing the 2020-21 season with the Red Raiders. He then played two seasons at Oklahoma State and one season at SMU before transferring to Memphis. He left the Tigers before he played in any games, which he hoped would allow him to continue his career at K-State.
But it wasn’t to be.
He has spent the past eight months in Manhattan hoping to play for the Wildcats. Now he must pursue other options.