Texas Tech tops Shrine Bowl 1000 with most NFL-ready talent
In this story:
The hype surrounding the Red Raiders heading into the 2025 college football season is real, and the Shrine Bowl 1000 watchlist proves it. Listing off the top 1,000 players in the country who are the most NFL-ready prospects, Texas Tech led all of college football with 24 players selected to the list.
Although 15 of the 24 players listed came from the transfer portal, Texas Tech also has nine guys on the list who have developed within the program. The fact that the Shrine Bowl selected more players from Texas Tech than any other program in the country tells you everything you need to know about what head coach Joey McGuire is building in Lubbock.
#ShrineBowl1000 By the Numbers:
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) July 28, 2025
1. Multiple Schools had 20+ players.
But the team with the MOST players on the #ShrineBowl1000 - @TexasTechFB. #TexasTech brought in MAJOR impact transfers like David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter, Hunter Zambrano and many more.
And… https://t.co/2TEANw590v pic.twitter.com/n5O0WQF9Lj
Here's a look at all 24 players from Texas Tech who made the cut:
- David Bailey, EDGE (Stanford)
- Dontae Balfour, DB (Charlotte)
- Amier Boyd, DB (UTEP)
- Terrance Carter Jr., TE (UL-Lafayette)
- Davion Carter, OL
- Caleb Douglas, WR
- Coy Eakin, WR
- Charles Esters III, LB
- Skyler Gill-Howard, DL (N Illinois)
- Romello Height, EDGE (Georgia Tech)
- Anthony Holmes Jr., DL (Houston)
- Lee Hunter, DL (UCF)
- Will Jados, OL (Miami OH)
- Quinten Joyner, RB (USC)
- Johncarlos Miller II, TE
- Behren Morton, QB
- Brice Pollock, DB (Miss. State)
- Ben Roberts, LB
- Jacob Rodriguez, LB
- Howard Sampson, OL (North Carolina)
- Reggie Virgil, WR (Miami OH)
- Sheridan Wilson, C
- Cole Wisniewski, DB (North Dakota St
- Hunter Zambrano, OL (Illinois State)
- Enjoy more Texas Tech coverage on Texas Tech On SI -
More Texas Tech News
'Scouts will be in Lubbock early and often' — ESPN NFL Draft analyst touts Texas Tech's talent
Texas Tech closing July as one of the hottest high school recruiting teams nationally
CBS projects Texas Tech for Final Four, All-American nods in 2025-26
ESPN's Dan Wetzel highlights key factor holding Texas Tech back
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.
Follow TWH_Chris