Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin will transfer to Memphis.

How’s this for a mid-season addition?

Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is transferring to Memphis basketball, sources confirm to Bluff City Media. A graduate transfer, Tomlin will be immediately eligible to play for the Tigers upon enrolling as he never suited up for Kansas State this season. KSU dismissed the 6-foot-10 senior from its program last week.

Tomlin had previously been suspended since late October following an arrest for “disorderly conduct; brawling or fighting” at Tubby’s Sports Bar in Manhattan, Kansas. He was later granted diversion in the case, per The Topeka Capital-Journal. But that apparently wasn’t good enough for Kansas State’s administration to let him back on the team.

“I have been monitoring this situation and overseeing Nae’Qwan’s suspension with Coach [Jerome] Tang’s involvement,” athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “While we cannot share the specifics that have led to this outcome due to the reasons stated above, K-State Athletics can now share that Nae’Qwan Tomlin will no longer be able to continue with the K-State men’s basketball team. This decision was not made lightly by me, but it is the decision warranted by the circumstances that brought it to bear.”

Kansas State president Richard Linton released a follow-up statement shortly after Taylor’s.

“The NCAA Board of Governors has required each member institution to adopt a ‘serious misconduct policy’ covering a number of potential allegations, including Title IX,” Linton’s statement reads in part. “Under the university’s serious misconduct policy, the university president is involved in collaboration with the athletic director and head coach when making a final decision concerning a student-athlete’s conduct and team membership. The decision to release Nae’Qwan from the men’s basketball team was made in full compliance with all applicable policies. When decisions like this are made, a range of factors are considered, including the entire history of a student athlete’s behavior. The reporting that this decision was made solely due to an incident at a bar in Aggieville is not accurate.”

KSU coach Jerome Tang was reportedly open to letting Tomlin return to the team, but was ultimately overruled by the school’s administration. Tomlin entered the transfer portal two days after being dismissed by Kansas State.

The Harlem, N.Y. native presumably replaces Louisiana transfer Jordan Brown, who left Memphis last week after a disappointing first seven games with the Tigers. He averaged just 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in those seven games after winning the Lou Henson Award last season for being college basketball’s best mid-major player.

Tomlin, meanwhile, comes off a productive first and only season with Kansas State. The 23-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats while shooting 50% from the field in 2022-23. He was also key contributor in Kansas State’s run to the Elite Eight, averaging 12.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in last season’s NCAA Tournament. Tomlin started all 36 games for the Wildcats last year.

Prior to arriving at Kansas State, he spent three seasons in junior college after not playing high school basketball. This includes two productive seasons at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., where he put 13.8 points and 5.9 blocks per game in 2022. He also tested the NBA Draft waters after last season before returning to college for his senior season.

Tomlin joins a Memphis team (7-2) that already has quite the resume. The Tigers already own five wins over top 100 KenPom teams—Texas A&M, Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri and VCU—and received 56 votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll.

Memphis, led by head coach Penny Hardaway, already has a core that includes the likes of David Jones (20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game), Jahvon Quinerly (13.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game), Caleb Mills (9.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game) and Jaykwon Walton (9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game), but Tomlin should still receive a nice role in a frontcourt featuring just two relevant contributors in Malcolm Dandridge (6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game) and Nick Jourdain (5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game). It’s currently unknown when Tomlin will make his Memphis debut this season.

The Tigers take on No. 13 Clemson (10-0) inside FedExForum Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).