Red Raider Review

Texas Tech battling in-state rival Texas as NIL superpowers clash for top QB recruit

Jerred Johnson|
Texas Tech general manager James Blanchard speaks with head coach Joey McGuire during spring practice
Texas Tech general manager James Blanchard speaks with head coach Joey McGuire during spring practice | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Texas Tech Red Raiders

Elite 2027 quarterback recruit Kavian Bryant can pick any school in the country, and he has offers from most of them. His offer list includes Michigan, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and a long list of other traditional powerhouses. Texas Tech was rarely mentioned in the same breath as these different programs, until lately. New General Manager James Blanchard has leveraged his revenue-sharing and name, image, and likeness (NIL) dollars to secure some truly top-tier talent in Lubbock.

Blanchard and Head Coach Joey McGuire recently made national headlines as they secured the commitment of EDGE LaDamion Guyton, who many view as the top overall prospect in the 2027 class. Not only was that shocking, the fact that they got Guyton to choose the Red Raiders over the Bulldogs of Georgia, his home state team, was that much more impressive. Now it looks as though Tech is locked in another recruiting battle, this time with a familiar foe.

Kavian Bryant is one of the truly gifted throwers in the 2027 class. It seems as though he is down to two primary schools, and Tech has cut. Most analysts see him as a Texas lean, and his recent words to Rivals support those assertions.

"To be the signal-caller at Texas comes with a lot, but the way the coaching staff gave me constructive criticism during the camp — that showed me that they take a lot of pride in the quarterback position"
2027 QB Recruit Kavian Bryant

Those words aside, one thing Tech has proven over the last few months is that you cannot count them out of any recruitment. If they want a player bad enough, they will use their considerable resources to get the deal done. I think Tech is a bigger player in this battle than many understand.

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Jerred Johnson
JERRED JOHNSON

Jerred Johnson has served in the United States military for over 23 years. He has a Bachelors in Marketing, a Masters in Management and is in the final phases of completing his Doctorate in Business Administration.

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