Red Raiders Kicker Transferring After 1 Season With Texas Tech
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While the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders prepare for the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day, some athletes are met with a dilemma. The transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, just one day after the quarterfinals match in the College Football Playoff. The portal will be open through Jan. 14, giving any players with intentions to transfer an awkward exit window.
This was the case for redshirt junior Texas Tech kicker Upton Bellenfant, who opened the season in a kicking competition with redshirt junior Stone Harrington. Harrington has been Tech's full-time starter in the second half of the season and was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in November.
Bellenfant kicked six field goals this year, converting all six with none coming from further than 33 yards out. He also converted 14 of 16 extra-point attempts, including a point-after attempt against Oklahoma State, which was his last appearance of the season. He also has the third-most kickoffs on the team, behind Harrington and redshirt junior Ian Hershey, another first-year transfer.
I will be entering the transfer portal with 1 year of eligibility remaining on January 2nd. Thank you to my coaches, staff, and teammates for an amazing ride here. I will continue with this team for as long as the NCAA calendar allows. #wreckem pic.twitter.com/y7RuF8GSqa
— Upton Bellenfant (@ubellenfant25) December 11, 2025
The kicker from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is in his fourth season but has one year of eligibility remaining after redshirting his freshman season.
Bellenfant shared on X that he is grateful for his time in Lubbock, Texas, and intends to "continue with [the Red Raiders] for as long as the NCAA calendar allows," which means he may still be available for the first round of the College Football Playoff.
He spent his first two seasons with Alabama as a walk-on after receiving just three offers as a zero-star recruit from Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna, Tenn. After starting his career with a redshirt, he did not play in 2023 and transferred to Buffalo for the 2024 season.
With the Bulls, he converted 18 of 21 field goal attempts and all 31 extra-point attempts. He even went 8-for-10 from 40+ yards, with a career-long conversion of 52 yards. This earned him All-MAC Third Team honors as a redshirt sophomore, and he relocated to Texas Tech for his redshirt junior season.
Bellenfant entered the season with high expectations, being named to the Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big 12 Fourth Team and the Lou Groza Award Watch List.
The redshirt junior kicker was listed as a three-star transfer, according to 247Sports, and was ranked fifth in the portal at his position heading into 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, he will likely be a quality addition for whichever team he joins.
For Bellenfant, the timeline at the kicker position in Lubbock was not in his favor. Texas Tech's three leading kickers — Harrington, Bellenfant, and Hershey — are redshirt juniors, with the expectation that they have one year of eligibility remaining at the end of the season. Hershey, however, could have an extra redshirt available, according to Texas Tech's website.
The expectation is that Harrington will remain the team's starting kicker in 2026. Hershey, the former Idaho State and Arizona State kicker, will take Bellenfant's place as the backup kicker, assuming he does not also enter the transfer portal.
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Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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