ESPN lists Texas Tech at No. 5 nationally in latest newcomer class rankings
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ESPN recently released its top 25 rankings for college football's newcomer classes, and the Red Raiders came in at No. 5 in the nation.
Although Texas Tech did a solid job on the recruiting trail by signing the No. 21 class nationally in 2025, it's the work that head coach Joey McGuire and his staff did in the transfer portal that provided the biggest boost during the offseason. According to 247Sports most recent rankings, Texas Tech's transfer portal class currently ranks No. 2 in the nation, trailing only LSU for the top spot.
With a borderline top 20 recruiting class, along with the No. 2 overall portal class, it's no surprise that Texas Tech landed at No. 5 in ESPN's top 25 newcomer class rankings.
Here's what ESPN had to say about the Red Raiders' spot at No. 5:
The Red Raiders signed a solid class, but transfers are expected to make the majority of the immediate impact. They also bring back good production at wide receiver, but in a high-powered passing attack with an experienced quarterback in Behren Morton, there's always opportunity for young players to jump in and contribute. Although he didn't enroll early, Jones, a four-star, is the highest-ranked receiver in the recruiting class and could work his way into the rotation.
Few teams were more active and successful in the portal this offseason than Texas Tech, which finished with ESPN's top-ranked transfer portal class. Much of that activity focused on improving a defense that ranked near the bottom nationally in several categories.
Adding Bailey from Stanford was a big addition. He already has 14.5 career sacks. Along with Height, Hunter and Gill-Howard, they can revitalize Texas Tech's defensive front.
Virgil and Carter, who caught 48 passes last season for Louisiana, should pair nicely with returning targets Coy Eakin and Caleb Douglas, who combined for more than 100 catches. To help better protect Morton, Texas Tech landed several potential offensive line starters, with Jados and Sampson poised to man tackle spots.
With Texas Tech routinely showing up near the top of the rankings heading into 2025, it's not hard to see why many are viewing this as a 'Playoff-or-Bust' season for McGuire and the Red Raiders. With an estimated $40 million investment into the roster for this season, the expectation is that it will lead to the type of success that the folks in Lubbock haven't experienced in quite some time.
Texas Tech enters the 2025 campaign looking for its first Big 12 title and its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Given the weapons that they brought in during the offseason, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Red Raiders achieve both goals this season.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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