“A phenomenal career. Thank you, Hunter Dickinson.” That was the message from the official March Madness account on X after Kansas’ shocking first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. But for the star center, that message might have stung. This wasn’t the ending he wanted. He had arrived in Kansas not only as one of the best players in college basketball over the past few years, but perhaps as the first true star of college basketball free agency in the transfer portal, with a growing NIL portfolio. After three years at Michigan, he joined Bill Self’s Jayhawks in hopes of a national title, but Dickinson’s move to Lawrence didn’t go as planned.

Before the game against Arkansas, Dickinson knew this was his final shot at the championship. “I know it’s my last one, so I’m going to try to leave it all out on the floor, no regrets.” However, his collegiate career ended in a 79-72 loss to No. 10 seed Arkansas, with him struggling, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. But did he dwell on it?

Days after the tourney exit, Dickinson was back at the CBS studio, providing commentary for the Texas-Florida Elite Eight preview. It was the continuation of his deal with CBS Sports HQ for a weekly show on ‘all things college basketball.’ And this isn’t his first rodeo, either. Last year in December, the Kansas star had garnered some media experience through multiple appearances on the Barstool Roundball Podcast in 2023 and a few others. CBS, however, has given him some real opportunities. His move was announced in December, and he debuted by breaking down the UCLA-UNC matchup ahead of the Sports Classic when things were going well for Kansas (8-2).

On CBS Sports, the 7-foot-2 center also shared his thoughts on the Michigan Wolverines’ Sweet 16 game against the Auburn Tigers. He talked about what Dusty May’s team needed to overcome the top seed in the south region. “I think for Michigan to keep up with Auburn it’s going to come down to Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle,” Dickinson said. “Can they make shots…I think that’ll be the matchup that’ll make things interesting and see if they can keep up with those guys.” Dickinson isn’t limiting himself to broadcasting duties only. On Thursday, he also announced a NIL deal with gaming giants.

Dickinson announced that he has partnered with Activision for the latest ‘Call of Duty’ release of Season 3: Black Ops 6 and Warzone, set for launch on April 3. “Verdansk is coming back! Drop in with your squad on April 3rd #COD_Partner #CallOfDuty #Verdansk #ad @callofduty,” Dickinson captioned in an Instagram post. Dickinson has previously signed deals with Adidas, CVS Pharmacy, Wendy’s, Great Clips, Engage, and Crush Soda, among others. At the moment, he sits at 72 in On3’s NIL valuation list as he continues to grow his brand.

This is a man with an uncertain future in the NBA. Yes, he is one of the bigger stars in college, in conversation for Player of the Year after Zach Edey left. But his lack of athleticism and defensive versatility has him down as a second-round pick in the mock drafts; a few others have excluded his name completely. “Some team with a need at backup center might take Dickinson late in the second round. More likely, he will go undrafted,” Sporting News’ Stephen Noh pointed out.

It is not uncommon for an athlete to have assumed a broadcasting role early. Aliyah Boston joined the Final Four panel, too, one year out of college. But Dickinson hasn’t had a very good reputation among the college hoops community, especially after his big money from Michigan to Kansas.

Though Dickinson’s pay at Kansas was never made public, it was believed to be over $1 million, with some reports suggesting that it was even close to $2 million. This move led to a lot of backlash, with many fans suggesting that his actions were motivated by money. However, Dickinson defended his decision.

“The people hating on me would leave their job right now for a $10,000 increase. I got, at Michigan, less than six figures. I got less than six figures at Michigan for the year,” he said in a podcast appearance. Now, while he awaits his basketball future, would broadcasting be the right path for him? Well, let’s take a look at what the college basketball community thinks.

From the court to the mic: Fans react to Hunter Dickinson’s commentary stint

To put it plainly, some see him as a natural fit, while others aren’t so sure.

One user wrote: “Part of me thinks he’d make at least a compelling if not good tv personality.” Dickinson was always a loud personality, often making headlines for his comments on podcasts. His appearance on “Rock Chalk Unplugged” last year, however, had some positive reviews about just speaking his mind. No pretense. So it would be an interesting sight.

Another opined, “He’s played in roughly 300 college games so he should know his stuff.” Well, no lie there, a little exaggeration maybe. The Kansas center played a total of 156 games throughout his collegiate career, and under the guidance of a coach like Bill Self for 2 years. The Hall-of-Famer even thought it an excellent opportunity to work his offensive ideas around Dickinson. So, one could expect some good insights around college basketball.

“Hate him, but he didn’t do bad for his first time, probably could have a career out of this if he chooses to,” came another comment. After breaking down Texas Tech – Arkansas, Dickinson got around to discussing how the Red Raiders could next beat Florida. Dickinson spoke from experience– tactics like 3-point shooting that had worked against his team could be the recipe against Florida’s talent and depth. If you ask the fans on Twitter, they’ll take this because Jalen Rose, Steve Lappas, or Stephen A. Smith haven’t been working out for them. Actual insights coming from college basketball are what they are looking for.

However, of course, not everything was positive. Dickinson has built a reputation for being aggressive, and his prolonged college career has seen some fans grow tired of him. After 5 years of college basketball, users point out they have had enough of him. “Read the f—ing room CBS get this bum off our screens,” wrote one of them.

“GET A REAL JOB,” another exclaimed. If his NBA journey does turn out to be true to the predictions, Dickinson could consider playing overseas. Otherwise, as one of the users wrote, as much as they hate to admit, the Kansas star did fare well through his new stint and could see this as a future career down the line.