Darrion Williams is a 23-year-old forward who has just returned to Texas Tech for a fifth college season, after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. The $1.7 million figure attached to his name is an estimated NIL valuation, not a net worth and not money in the bank: every dollar of it comes from college Name, Image and Likeness deals rather than a professional contract. His main income sources have been college collectives – the Matador Club at Texas Tech and One Pack at NC State – plus a Buffalo Wild Wings partnership. He had previously withdrawn from the 2025 NBA Draft to return for a senior season at NC State. That gamble did not pay off the way he hoped. ESPN’s mock draft had projected him at pick 44 to the Boston Celtics, but on draft night in June 2026 his name was never called, and he did not play summer league. In August 2026 he signed with Texas Tech for the 2026-27 season instead.

You’ve probably searched “Darrion Williams net worth” and landed on results for Deron Williams, the retired NBA point guard with an estimated $55–65 million. That’s a completely different person. Darrion Williams (born April 23, 2003) is a college basketball player. He doesn’t have an NBA contract. He doesn’t have a shoe deal. But he does have something most college athletes never see: an NIL valuation estimated at $1.7 million, built across college stops at Nevada, Texas Tech and NC State – and now a return to Texas Tech for a fifth year.

That’s real money. And it’s all from Name, Image, and Likeness deals, not a professional salary. Here’s exactly where it came from, what it means, and what comes next.

What Is Darrion Williams’ Net Worth in 2026?

The $1.7 million figure attached to Darrion Williams is an estimated NIL valuation, and it is worth being precise about what that means, because most pages reporting it call it a net worth. An NIL valuation is a projection of what an athlete’s endorsement rights are worth over a year – it is not money banked, not money already paid, and not a wealth estimate. Williams’ figure is built from deals signed across his college career, primarily through collectives at Texas Tech and NC State plus a Buffalo Wild Wings sponsorship. No personal tax filings or bank balances are public, so his actual net worth is unknown and is very likely well below $1.7 million once tax, agent fees and living costs are taken out.

It’s worth repeating: this is not a pro contract. It’s NIL money. That’s a big distinction. For context, NC State coach Will Wade noted that Williams’ NIL package at NC State is better than what he likely would’ve earned as a second-round draft pick. That tells you everything about where college NIL money has gone. It also proved to be the correct financial read: Williams went undrafted in 2026, so the second-round money he passed on in 2025 never materialised at all. The same NIL-valuation-versus-actual-earnings gap shows up across college basketball – see Braden Smith, AJ Dybantsa and Keaton Wagler for three more versions of it.

Don’t confuse him with Deron Williams, the former NBA All-Star point guard who played for the Jazz, Nets, and Mavs. Different person entirely.

How Did Darrion Williams Build His NIL Value?

Darrion Williams built his $1.7 million NIL value across three schools. He started at Nevada (2022-23), then transferred to Texas Tech (2023-25), where he earned a deal with the Matador Club collective and a viral Buffalo Wild Wings partnership. His NC State signing in 2025 brought in his largest collective payout yet through the One Pack NIL group.

The Buffalo Wild Wings deal came directly from his March Madness heroics, when he hit the game-tying shot against Arkansas to send the game to overtime, then scored the game-winner, sending Texas Tech to the Elite Eight. Buffalo Wild Wings moved fast. Days later, he was a paid brand partner.

Williams admitted he could have gotten a more lucrative NIL deal at a different school, but chose NC State for something else entirely: coach Will Wade’s transparency and a clear development plan for his NBA future. That’s not a knock on the money. That’s a player playing the long game.

NIL Timeline at a Glance:

Season	School	NIL Status
2022-23	Nevada	Pre-NIL scale; minimal deals
2023-24	Texas Tech	Matador Club collective signed
2024-25	Texas Tech	Buffalo Wild Wings deal (March Madness)
2025-26	NC State	One Pack collective; est. $1.7M total valuation
2026-27	Texas Tech	Returned on a fifth-year injunction; NIL terms not disclosed

Darrion Williams’ Career Stats and Awards

Williams has been one of the most productive players at every stop. Here’s his season-by-season output:

Season	School	PPG	RPG	APG	Awards
2022–23	Nevada	7.7	7.3	2.7	Mountain West Freshman of the Year
2023–24	Texas Tech	11.4	—	2.5	All-Big 12 Third Team, Newcomer Team
2024–25	Texas Tech	15.1	5.5	3.6	All-Big 12 First Team
NCAA Tournament	Texas Tech	21.0	—	—	Led team in tourney scoring
2025–26	NC State	14.0	4.6	2.8	All-ACC Honorable Mention; led NC State in scoring

During the season, coach Will Wade pointed out that Williams was shooting better than 40% from three-point range, up from 34% the year before, and holding a higher offensive rating than the previous season despite playing through a serious shoulder injury. ESPN later reported that injuries hampered his NC State year, which is part of why his draft stock slipped. The production is there.

Why Did Darrion Williams Turn Down the 2025 NBA Draft?

Darrion Williams withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft because he was projected as a second-round pick, and his NC State NIL package offered comparable or better pay. A second-round pick gets no guaranteed contract. Williams chose NC State to boost his draft stock, improve his game under coach Will Wade, and potentially enter the 2026 draft as a first-round prospect.

At the 2025 combine, Williams measured 6-foot-4.5 barefoot, 236 pounds, with a 6-foot-6.5 wingspan and 8-foot-5 standing reach. Those numbers are fine for a wing but not elite. He needed a strong senior season to prove he belonged in the lottery conversation.

Wade himself walked Williams through the math: “He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would’ve gotten as a second-round pick.” That’s a coach being unusually honest with his own recruit. It worked.

What Happened to Darrion Williams in the 2026 NBA Draft?

Darrion Williams was not selected in the 2026 NBA Draft. All sixty picks passed without his name being called, and he did not appear in summer league afterwards. Evaluators had placed him in the second-round mix as one of the more polished playmaking forwards in the class, but a shoulder injury that hampered his NC State season, combined with long-standing questions about his burst and athleticism, kept him off boards on the night.

Going into the draft, ESPN’s big board had ranked Williams 79th overall in the 2026 class, with their mock projecting him at pick 44 to the Boston Celtics. Even that projection carried no guaranteed money: second-round picks sign non-guaranteed deals, and two-way contracts sit at roughly $600,000 a year. Going undrafted meant none of it arrived, and returning to Texas Tech for a fifth season on an NIL package is, once again, the better-paying option available to him.

Scouting reports describe him as a hard-nosed, versatile forward with a high basketball IQ who impacts both ends of the floor. The ceiling question: lack of burst and offensive limitations may cap his upside as a role/glue player in the NBA.

What each draft outcome would have paid (none of which applied, since he went undrafted):

Scenario	Pick Range	Est. Year 1 Salary
Two-way contract	Undrafted / late 2nd	~$600K
Late 2nd round	45–60	~$1.1M (non-guaranteed)
Early 2nd round	31–44	~$1.5–1.8M
Late 1st round	25–30	~$2.6–3.2M

The best NBA players to watch in 2025 all had one thing in common: a strong final college season that locked in first-round money. That’s exactly what Williams is chasing.

Final Word

Darrion Williams went from a four-star recruit at Nevada to a $1.7 million NIL valuation in four years, and then went undrafted. His money remains 100% NIL-driven: no pro salary, no shoe deal, just college collectives, one viral March Madness moment, and two consecutive decisions to take college NIL money over non-guaranteed NBA money. Given that he was never drafted, both decisions look financially sound in hindsight, even as the NBA door has narrowed. He begins a fifth college season at Texas Tech in 2026-27 under a court injunction granted by US District Judge Charlotte Sweeney, alongside roughly 50 other athletes suing the NCAA over eligibility. For comparable cases of college athletes weighing NIL against the draft, see Drew Timme, Braylon Mullins and Tarris Reed Jr.

Want more athlete money breakdowns? Browse celebrity and sports net worth profiles on MVP Net Worth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 21 August 2026. Williams going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, his absence from summer league, and his return to Texas Tech for a fifth season verified against ESPN (7 August 2026) and Sports Illustrated; the eligibility injunction from US District Judge Charlotte Sweeney and the NCAA lawsuit against ESPN’s reporting; his final 2025-26 NC State line of 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists and his All-ACC Honorable Mention against NC State Athletics and ESPN. The $1.7 million figure is an NIL valuation rather than a net worth, and has been relabelled as such throughout.