Dillon Hunter announces his return to Clemson basketball due to new eligibility rule

CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) - Apart of the national eligibility madness, Clemson basketball's Dillon Hunter announces his return to Tiger Town.

Hunter announced on social media, "Let’s Do it TigerTown!! 😈😈 We back baby like ribsssss."

On July 20, Hunter had previously signed a pro contract to go overseas with Eisbären Bremerhavenm, in Germany's ProA league (second-tier league).

Then on July 31, a federal judge in Colorado ruled that all college athletes who enrolled in 2022 and exhausted their fourth year of eligibility during the 2025-26 athletic calendar would be granted an additional year of eligibility.

The ruling comes after the NCAA announced its new "5 in 5" eligibility model, which grants athletes five seasons of eligibility and eliminates redshirts and waivers. Class of 2022 athletes were excluded from the new model, meaning those who played their final season in 2025-26 wouldn't be eligible for 2026-27.

The ruling overturns the NCAA's decision and gives those athletes an extra season.

Hunter is one of 30-plus players who won that court injunction and benefit from the ruling after starting in every game during his last season of eligibility with Clemson during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, three assists, and a steal each game for the Tigers last season.

His return means that for an eighth consecutive season, there will be Hunter on the roster.
The previous continuous program record for one family is the Mahaffeys with 11 straight seasons from 1959 to 1970.

Over 134 games as a Tiger, Hunter scored 555 points and shot 39.3% from the field, and fills out the last roster spot for the 2026-27 Tigers.