Texas Tech NIL money, explained: Where Red Raiders rank among college football’s most expensive rosters originally appeared on The Sporting News
Texas Tech is off to a strong start in 2025, having won their first three games.
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The Red Raiders entered the season with high hopes after a surprisingly strong offseason in which they dominated the transfer portal. Texas Tech attracted top talent and outspent several powerhouse programs, giving the team a chance to build on last year’s eight-win campaign.
Traditionally, Texas Tech hasn’t been considered a powerhouse, but it certainly operated like one this offseason. Here’s a look at how the Red Raiders thrived in the portal heading into 2025.
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Texas Tech NIL money, explained
Texas Tech has taken advantage of the NIL environment to help create its football roster, running through The Matador Club, which was created in 2022 as the school’s non-profit NIL collective.
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The biggest benefactor for Texas Tech is Cody Campbell, a former football player and current billionaire who made his money in oil. In 2021, Campbell donated $25 million to the university as part of its stadium renovation, and he has since been named the chairman of the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System.
In the offseason, the Red Raiders added 21 players in the transfer portal, all of whom were at least three-star players according to 247 Sports. Overall, Texas Tech ended up with the No. 2 transfer portal class, which On3 estimated cost $28 million, which those in college football believe is the second-most expensive roster.
This year marked the first time schools faced a cap on athlete compensation, set at $20.5 million beginning July 1. Texas Tech found a workaround by structuring front-loaded deals, paying the bulk of its new football players before the cap took effect.
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Head coach Joey McGuire, general manager James Blanchard, and Campbell then teamed up to study film, identify top transfers, and target the best fits for the program.
“I’d say 85% of it was a waste of time,” Blanchard told ESPN, “because most of ’em stayed or some went to the draft. But that 15% that wasn’t a waste of time? Man, we executed on it. We were proactive. We already had grades on guys and already had everything we needed done. There’s maybe a surprise here or there, but come December, we’ve been talking about these guys for what felt like five to six months.”
Texas Tech needed all this preparation for the transfer portal, as Lubbock, Texas isn’t exactly a dream destination for most players.
“They have to pay 30% more to get the guy because of location,” a source told On3.
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Texas Tech transfer portal additions
According to 247Sports, Texas Tech’s biggest additions in the transfer portal were:
Each of those player’s were ranked in 247Sports’ top 100 players in the transfer portal over the offseason.
