Will Wade has landed one of the transfer portal’s biggest prizes.

Darrion Williams, a 6-foot-6 do-it-all forward from Texas Tech, committed to NC State on Thursday. The rising senior averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals last season, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors. After helping lead the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight, he was also named to the West All-Region Team.

Williams, who was slotted at No. 30 in Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top transfers, withdrew his name from the NBA Draft earlier this week. He strongly considered Kansas as well, taking a visit to Lawrence on Tuesday before ultimately deciding to join the Wolfpack.

Shortly after his announcement, Williams posted a heartfelt message to Texas Tech fans on social media: “Thank you tech for everything! I wouldn’t trade these last two years for anything, Lubbock is a second home to me and will always have a special place in my heart.”

Wade has been busy rebuilding NC State’s roster over the past few months. When the former McNeese coach was hired in mid-March, he set the bar very high for his first year at the helm, telling the media that the program was “going to be in the top part of the ACC” and make it to the NCAA Tournament after finishing 12-19 (5-15 in conference play) last season. “This is going to be done the right way, and it’s going to be done quickly,” Wade said. “We are here to win.”

Williams is Wade’s most notable addition yet. NC State has signed six other players via the portal, including 6-foot-2 senior guard Tre Holloman, who averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 assists for Michigan State, and 6-foot-6 junior guard Terrance Arceneaux from Houston. Two of Wade’s former players from McNeese, 6-foot-6 senior guard Quadir Copeland and 6-foot-3 senior guard Alyn Breed, followed him to Raleigh, and the Wolfpack also signed consensus top-30 high school recruit Matt Able, a 6-foot-5 guard. There are still some holes to address, particularly in the frontcourt, but Wade’s roster is shaping up nicely.

The Wolfpack remain in contention for Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who was the 2024-25 AAC Player of the Year. Haggerty ranked third in the nation in scoring at 21.7 points per game, while also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals. He was a consensus second-team All-American. 

With Williams on board, NC State is already well positioned to deliver on Wade’s bold promises. If the program also lands Haggerty, he and Williams would form one of the best duos in the country.

One year after going on a miraculous run to the 2024 Final Four, NC State struggled immensely in 2024-25, coming in 16th place in the ACC. Coach Kevin Keatts, who spent eight seasons with the Wolfpack, was dismissed in early March. Wade signed a six-year contract with the school a couple weeks later, having guided McNeese to back-to-back Southland Conference titles in his first position since being fired by LSU in 2022 due to allegations of multiple Level I NCAA violations. Overall, Wade has amassed a 351-246 (.701) record in 11 seasons as a head coach, including two with Chattanooga and two with VCU.

Williams will be among the most versatile talents Wade has ever coached. With a strong frame and an extremely wide skill set, he is the type of player who fits in seamlessly on any team. The 22-year-old began his college career at Nevada, where he averaged 7.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals, and was named the Mountain West Rookie of the Year. He transferred to Texas Tech ahead of his sophomore campaign and continued to thrive in the Big 12, making an All-Conference Team in back-to-back seasons. 

Offensively, Williams finishes well at the rim, makes plays out of the low post and knocks down three-pointers at a consistent rate (career 37.9 percent shooter from behind the arc). He scored 20 or more points in three of the Red Raiders’ four NCAA Tournament games. On the defensive end, he guards multiple positions, disrupts passing lanes and helps out tremendously on the glass.

Every team Williams has been on has won at least 22 games and reached the NCAA Tournament. NC State is starting to look like a squad that can keep that streak alive.