College Football Has a New NIL Powerhouse and Coaches Are Calling it ‘Ridiculous’ originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
As of July 1, schools are now able to pay their athletes directly, thanks to the June 6 House v. NCAA settlement.
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This monumental ruling allows schools to disperse $20.5 million however they’d like amongst their athletes. For some programs that didn’t have the strongest NIL backing, this helps level the playing field. For those who were already spending large amounts on their roster, it only makes them stronger.
The latter would apply to programs such as Texas, Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan, among other perennial powers. However, over the past year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have also been known to throw around some cash.
They put together the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, and according to a report by The Athletic, are spending so much that it is frustrating other coaches.
“Ridiculous. …They’re not just outbidding, they’re outbidding (other teams) by 3X,” one coach told The Athletic. “Wild, but it will be interesting. If the players are good kids, about the right things and about winning, I think it’ll go great. If they’re about themselves, the first time adversity hits will define them.”
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Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire, center, looks on.
One coach even went as far as to admit they were “jealous.”
The report confirmed that Texas Tech will spend $55 million in the 2025-26 season in NIL across all sports. While many may be wondering where this large influx of cash flow is coming from, the answer is quite simple. The surge in funds comes via oil tycoon Cody Campbell.
According to On3, the Texas Tech booster sold his oil and natural gas company in February for approximately $4.08 billion in cash and stock.
While this is exciting for Tech fans and threatening to those around the country, the pressure is only growing for a program that has never appeared in a Big 12 Championship game. Only time will tell if the investment pays off, but clearly, Campbell is looking to change the trajectory of the program.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
