BREAKING: Texas Tech lands UNC transfer SG Kerwin Walton

Texas Tech hosted North Carolina University guard Kerwin Walton for a visit last week, and today he ended the recruiting process by announcing his transfer commitment to the Red Raiders, giving the program a much-needed addition for the upcoming season.

The shooting guard announcing his commitment to the Red Raiders, ultimately turned down offers from Clemson, Memphis, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and others. Walton held many offers coming out of high school, such as Kansas, Baylor, and Arkansas prior to committing to North Carolina.

Walton has three years of college eligibility remaining.

A former four-star recruit, Walton was ranked No. 93 overall in the Class of 2022 according to Rivals.com

Walton averaged 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game on 37.3% FG shooting last season as a sophomore. During his freshman campaign, Walton averaged 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 42% 3-point shooting. He started in 20 games and played in 29 total that year. Walton became the best freshman three-point shooter in UNC history. The reason for his numbers dropping so low? My guess would be that he just did not fit well in the new Hubert Davis system and his defensive inabilities.

At 6-foot-5, Walton has the size and quick release to get his shot off, and the touch to shoot the opponent out of the gym. He's a very good shooter and will get open looks. He doesn't necessarily shoot a traditional jumper but the fact of the matter is that he doesn't miss very often and he's crafty off the dribble when defenders try to run him off the three point line. Walton's defense is concerning but have faith that Mark Adams will fix that.

Walton becomes the fifth scholarship player to transfer to Texas Tech this off-season, joining Jaylon Tyson, D'Maurian Williams, De'Vion Harmon, and Fardaws Aimaq. That group gives Texas Tech one of the top transfer recruiting classes in the country.

Walton’s addition leaves Texas Tech with one scholarship spot open on the roster. This spot was hoping to be filled by Campbell transfer Cedric Henderson Jr who ended up choosing Arizona. Now this spot could be left empty, saved for a possible mid-year transfer, given to a walk-on, given to another transfer portal guy, or could be used by Clarence Nadolny who is in the process of deciding whether to head home and play in France or stay in Lubbock.

Walton's best college performance came during his freshman year vs. Louisville where he had 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.

“As far as a player goes, Walton is very skilled, can shoot it and has great size. He’s someone that everyone will tell you works out two or three times a day and does it quietly. Not sure Tech has had someone like him that can come off screens and hit shots since Dusty Hannahs but he’s bigger and more athletic than Hannahs was. He played a lot more as a freshman than he did last year. I think the coaching change hurt him and there was some COVID stuff that affected his playing time too.” - Chris Level (RedRaiderSports.com)

“Kerwin Walton appears to be a player who performs well when he is confident. He was almost an automatic three-point shooter as a freshman. Last season it was different. He found himself outside the seven-man rotation, and his shot form and belief was way off when he did get on the court. His strength is off the outside shot. He can open up the floor with his capability. He is not the greatest offense, so he won’t turn the game with other parts of his repertoire. But he has the gifts to be an elite three-point shooter. Give him playing time and put him around complimentary personnel and Texas Tech will have themselves a big-time floor stretcher.” - David Sisk (Basketball writer for TarHeelIllustrated.com, the North Carolina Rivals site)