Texas Tech secures 'championship-or-bust' roster with billionaire's backing
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There's a sense of urgency in Lubbock when it comes to the football program, with the goal being to deliver a championship in 2025. Since joining the Big 12 back in 1996, the Red Raiders have yet to capture a championship in 28 seasons within the conference. But today's era of college athletics is far different from what it once was, and support from Billionaires and collectives can now help secure the type of talent required to win at the highest level.
According to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, Texas Tech's effort to go all-in on transfer portal talent has created a 'championship-or-bust' situation in Lubbock.
"Texas Tech raced out to the No. 1 portal class in the winter, landing 11 four-star prospects; keep in mind there are only 194 of them for the entire 2024-25 portal cycle."
Although Texas Tech got off to a hot start in the portal, the staff continued to pursue the top available talent in an effort to build a championship roster. Hummer points out that one of the biggest moves for Texas Tech came when they landed Stanford edge rusher David Bailey.
"Outside of Nico Lamaleava, there was only one true no-doubt, impact all-conference level player in the portal this cycle: Stanford edge David Bailey. Texas Tech went head-to-head with UCLA, the school close to home his mom preferred, and Texas, the national contender that made a very competitive NIL offer. You know what won out? Texas Tech and its money. There were other factors of course, but multiple sources told 247Sports the Red Raiders made an aggressive seven-figure offer that placed Bailey among the highest-paid players in the sport, regardless of position."
Hummer went on to highlight the additions of guys like Micah Hudson (WR), Roy Alexander (WR), and true freshman All-American OL Cash Cleveland.
Top to bottom, Texas Tech has secured the top transfer portal class in the country - and it didn't come cheap. With all of the necessary pieces in place, the challenge now for head coach Joey McGuire is to make sure the Red Raiders capitalize. Anything short of a conference championship and/or appearance in the College Football Playoff with this roster will undoubtedly be considered a failure.
"Now comes the hard part that money can't buy.," Hummer wrote. "Texas Tech needs to win the Big 12 or this all-in push will be a failure."
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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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