The 2025 Texas Tech football season has completely exceeded expectations. They are on the cusp of winning the Big 12 Championship game, and they are also knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff berth as one of the best teams in the country. The emergence of Texas Tech has been in large part because of the NIL era and the fact that they have used that money wisely in recruiting.
Texas Tech football head coach Joey McGuire appeared on Tuesday's episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” and talked about all things Texas Tech. He spoke about how the Red Raiders have tried to change their recruiting strategy in the NIL landscape thanks to their big donor, Cody Campbell. He said Campbell has been the brains behind the entire operation and has been key to where they are now.
McGuire and the Red Raiders have been aggressive in recruiting, thanks to Cody Campbell's input and the need to adapt to the college football landscape. That aggressiveness helped the Red Raiders almost completely reshape their roster, especially on defense.
The crown jewel of Texas Tech's transfer portal class this past season was pass-rusher David Bailey. He was set to join UCLA after deciding to transfer from Stanford, but the Red Raiders made him a giant offer, one he could not turn down.
“I took that call, and, yeah, everything changed for me,” Bailey said, according to Max Olson of ESPN. He was offered a reported deal worth more than $3 million, believed to be the largest offer for a defensive player in the NIL era.
The play of Bailey, combined with that of fellow teammate Jacob Rodriguez in the linebacking corps, has helped the Red Raiders emerge as one of the best defenses in the entire country. That defense will be put to the test on Saturday against BYU when the Cougars get a rematch against Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game.
The Red Raiders embody this new era of college football through their recruiting, and they have fully embraced it. It remains to be seen how their season ends, but so far it has worked out for them due to their style of play and their upgraded talent level.
