'Back Home': Texas Tech Basketball Begins Fall Practices - roundtable.io

The squad carries five returners and nine newcomers into the 2026-27 season, four of those newcomers being freshmen. Two names stand out on that list. Darrion Williams is back in Lubbock after a season at NC State, returning to the program he once left. Donovan Atwell is also on the official roster after an injunction granted him a fifth year of eligibility, keeping a familiar face around for one more run.

For fans who pack United Supermarkets Arena on game nights, this kind of roster turnover can cut both ways. Nine new faces means a learning curve, but it also means McCasland had real options this offseason and used them. The returners provide a backbone, and the freshmen add long-term upside the program can build around.

McCasland has now had three full offseasons to put his fingerprints on this program, and the newcomer-to-returner ratio since his arrival suggests he is still actively shaping the roster in his own image rather than inheriting someone else's.