Red Raider Review

Rival fans meltdown over Texas Tech's transfer portal dominance

Rival fans are struggling with the fact that Texas Tech is using an aggressive NIL approach to land the nation's top talent in pursuit of championships.
Chris Breiler|
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Texas Tech has found itself in the national spotlight following an aggressive approach in the transfer portal, fueled by what seems like an endless supply of NIL funding.

Following the softball team's incredible run in the Women's College World Series, the Red Raiders are loading up with a new All-American transfer almost daily. Since the conclusion of the season, Texas Tech has added five total prospects, four of whom are located in On3's Top 10 rankings. That list includes Kaitlyn Terry (UCLA), Talor Pannell (Tennessee), Jasmyn Burns (Ohio State), Mia Williams (Florida), and Jackie Lis (Southern Illinois). That's in addition to signing star pitcher NiJaree Canady to another seven-figure deal.

On Thursday, Softball OnSI published an article highlighting just how Texas Tech is able to load up on transfer portal talent.

"NCAA rules prevent head coaches from recruiting players actively on opponents’ rosters, but there aren’t rules in place to prevent a third party from approaching those players. This loophole has opened the door for All-Americans to join head coach Gerry Glasco’s program. The Matador Club, Texas Tech’s Name, Image and Likeness collective, and coach Nathan Nelson of Hotshots Fastpitch, a travel organization based in Texas, have reportedly been heavily involved in this process."

The approach has led to tremendous success for the Red Raiders in today's current environment of college athletics, at least as far as landing talent is concerned. And while some are concerned about the "morality" of the approach, Texas Tech is too busy making things happen to care.

The reality is that these types of deals have been happening in college athletics for a very, very long time, well before NIL was even a concept. But with the current rules in place, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being incredibly aggressive and exploiting any "loopholes" that may exist in an effort to set your program up for success. That's what the SEC has (allegedly) been doing for decades, and that's what smart programs are doing now.

But playing aggressively within the rules is still leaving a sour taste in the mouths of rival fans who aren't thrilled with Texas Tech pushing the boundaries. On the flip side, others are acknowledging what appears to be a harsh reality for some - Texas Tech is just playing the NIL game better than any other program in the country right now.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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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