A new announcement by Texas Tech men’s basketball on social media essentially locks JT Toppin onto Grant McCasland’s 2026-27 roster in a new video revealing the 6-foot-9 forward putting on a Red Raiders jersey.
The clip includes radio and television soundbites from last season season, followed by Topping dawning the uniform while LL Cool J’s “Momma Said Knock You Out” fades in and ends with a “2026-27” on a black screen. Basically, Toppin’s coming back for his senior season and Texas Tech wants you to know it.
Toppin, enduring an ACL tear in his right knee in mid-February, missed the subsequent Big 12 and NCAA tournaments as the Red Raiders carried on without his 21.8 points per game.
The roster in Lubbock is coming together and Toppin’s an automatic win for McCasland’s frontcourt alongside fellow returning big Josiah Moseley (5.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.5 apg). Tech assembled a trio of Cruz Davis (Hofstra), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV), and Damarion Dennis (Wyoming) in the portal.
Toppin’s 2025-26 campaign saw Toppin lead the program in scoring with career-high marks in the rebound/assist columns since transferring in from New Mexico two years ago. He finished the season a consensus All-American and Big 12 First Team. The Dallas, Texas, native is currently a mid-to-late second round projection for the 2027 NBA Draft.
