Josh Pate names unexpected program with ‘best facilities’ in college football

Josh Pate praised a surprising program for having the best facilities in college football, calling its investment unmatched nationwide.

College football analyst Josh Pate sang the praises of Lubbock and Texas Tech's facilities after visiting the campus on Saturday. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The conversation about elite college football programs often circles around powerhouse names like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State. Yet this week, college football analyst Josh Pate turned that conversation on its head when he declared that Texas Tech has the best facilities in the country on Instagram. His claim surprised many who still picture Lubbock as an outpost far from the sport’s recruiting and financial centers.

“Texas Tech has the best facilities in the country,” Pate said. “But no one believes it because no one can picture in their mind that there’s something about college football in Lubbock, Texas, that trumps anything that could exist in Athens, Georgia, or Austin, Texas, or Columbus, Ohio, or Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It’s fine if you think that. I’m just telling you, you’re kind of wrong because they’ve invested. All have they invested.”

That investment includes a $242 million renovation that gave the Red Raiders one of the largest continuous football facilities in the nation. It’s a complex designed not just to impress recruits but to signal that the program is fully committed to competing with the sport’s giants.

Texas Tech’s Womble Football Center Sets a New Standard

The Womble Football Center and South End Zone expansion feature everything from a two-story players lounge to an alumni terrace overlooking practice fields. The locker room includes zero-gravity chairs, and the recovery area features hydrotherapy tubs, cryotherapy chambers, and sensory deprivation beds. There’s even a barbershop, a podcast studio, and a 15,000-square-foot weight room double the size of the old one.

Pate praised not just the scale of Texas Tech’s facilities but the culture that surrounds them. “It’s like being in a great big high school football town,” he said.

College football analyst Josh Pate praised the facilities at Texas Tech as the best in college football. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

“The communal feel, the all-in nature, the everyone pitching in, all the gas stations closing down on Friday night—it’s like that, but so much bigger because it’s college football and there are billionaires involved.”

Texas Tech’s continued investment has earned admiration across the sport and deepened the pride of its fans. The Red Raiders will travel to face UCF on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox.