STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's basketball head coach Eric Haut announced Caleb Blackwell as the first transfer signing for the 2026-27 season on Monday afternoon.

Blackwell marks the first transfer recruit in the Haut era. He will play his senior season with the Texans joining returners Leroy Kelly IV, Kade Douglas and Matyas Vrabel. Douglas joins Blackwell as the two seniors in the current group.

"We are thrilled to welcome Caleb Blackwell to the Tarleton State family," said Haut. "Caleb brings proven experience at the Division 1 level and a winning pedigree. He possesses a relentless work ethic, character, and the leadership qualities we value in our program. We also would like to recognize his mom, Janina, for the role she's played in helping shape him into the person and young man that Caleb has become. His leadership on and off the court, combined with his competitive spirit, and ability to make the people around him better gives us the confidence that he'll make an immediate impact and help elevate our program. Welcome to the Texan Family, Caleb!"

Blackwell is a 6-1 guard who is originally from Buford, Ga. and last played at UTEP during the 2025-26 season. After winning a state championship at Buford High School and finishing his prep career at Grayson High School, Blackwell started his collegiate career at Alabama A&M. After spending two seasons with the Bulldogs, he headed to South Plains Junior College, where he earned All-American honors and became one of the top JUCO transfers in the country. Last season, he transferred to UTEP where he averaged 10 points a game for the Miners.

"I chose Tarleton State because of the culture, attention to detail, plan in place, and resources here to be ultra successful and win a conference championship," said Blackwell. "Coach E and his staff are elite and knows exactly what it takes to win and develop pros. It means everything for it being potentially my last year playing college basketball. I want to leave a legacy here and give the people of this city something to be proud of."
 
Last year, Blackwell was one of four Miners to average in double figures, scoring 10.6 points per game. As a junior, he was in the top 20 in the CUSA with 81 assists and 2.9 per game. He started 27 of the 28 games that he played in in his only season in El Paso. The guard also averaged 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. As a shooter, he made 48 from beyond the arc, shooting at a 36.4 percent clip.

He scored in double digits in 15 games, including in nine of his last 10 games of the season. Blackwell scored at least 20 points in three games including a season-best 22 points at Sam Houston. He made a season-high six of his 11 three-point attempts against Liberty. He made multiple threes in 14 games for the Miners. The junior dished out six assists or more in three games including a season-best seven against Norfolk State.

Prior to UTEP, he spent one season at the junior college level for South Plains College. Following the season, he was named an NJCAA Division I All-American Second Team selection. In addition, he was also selected to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team, the Region 5 MVP and both the conference and region first teams. He helped South Plains reached the NJCAA National Tournament Final Four with a 29-7 record. JUCO Round Up tabbed Blackwell as the 12th-rated junior college player in the nation in the 2023-24 season.

He scored in double figures in 23 of his 33 games and ranked second on the team averaging 13.1 points per game. He scored 20 or more six times including setting his season best at 26, twice. He tallied four double-doubles with 10+ points and assists. Blackwell led the Texans averaging 2.9 assists per game and he had a season-best 11 assists against Midland College. He made five or more triples in four contests, with a season high of six. The Buford, Ga., native, shot a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe in his eighth game with the program against Colin County CC.

Blackwell began his collegiate career at Alabama A&M. After redshirting the 2022-23 season, he played in 33 games while starting three for the Bulldogs in their 2023-24 campaign. He averaged 4.2 points, 1.9 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game. Blackwell shot 33.3 percent from deep making 16 triples. He also shot 78.1 percent from the charity stripe. As a redshirt-freshman, he scored in double digits three times including a season-best 13 points against Austin Peay in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

He spent his first three prep seasons playing at the varsity level for Buford High School. As a freshman, he helped the Wolves earn their second Georgia 5A State Championship in three years. He was also a part of back-to-back regional championship teams in his first two seasons. Overall, he helped guide Buford to a 70-17 record during his three seasons. Buford made it to at least the Georgia State Sweet 16 in each of his three years. He chose to head to Grayson High School for his final season in 2021-22. With the Rams, he helped lead them to the 8A Georgia State Tournament Elite Eight. They fell to the eventual state runners-up. Throughout his high school career, he was a three-time All-Region selection and totaled 1,000 points and 500 assists.

Blackwell's father, James Blackwell, played one season in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics. He scored 18 points and tallied 11 assists and 11 rebounds in 80 minutes in his 13 games. James Blackwell played a four-year storied career at Dartmouth College, including leading the Ivy League in scoring as a senior. He averaged 19.3 points per game in his senior campaign and totaled 1,106 points in his collegiate career.

Tarleton State Men's Basketball will continue to announce its 2026-27 roster and future schedule at a later date.