The Texas Tech football program is not afraid to pay — a lot.

In the Wild, Wild West of the NIL era of college football, it is fitting that a team from West Texas would grab control, and that is exactly what the Red Raiders have done using the nearly unlimited resources of their boosters.

This past spring, in particular, essentially served as a proving ground for Texas Tech's strategy, which saw them purportedly spend millions to attract transfers in the portal. The likes of David Bailey, Romello Height, Howard Sampson, Quinten Joyner, and Lee Hunter bought in, giving the Raiders potentially the single-greatest transfer haul in college football history.

And while some programs shy away from the rhetoric or appearance of “buying” players, Texas Tech isn't that type of program, which was made even more evident by the recent comments of the program's general manager, James Blanchard.

“If somebody is underpaying an elite guy … only paying him $100-$200k I’m going to give him $300-$400k and go steal somebody,” Blanchard said, via On3's Steve Wiltfong.

Shortly after Joey McGuire was hired as the Texas Tech football head coach in November 2021, Blanchard joined his staff, having worked with McGuire previously at Baylor. Since then, Blanchard's influence has only grown, and, as the Texas Tech Athletics website says, he has more “autonomy” than most — if not all — other general managers in college football. He is “responsible for identifying every prospect Texas Tech ultimately offers a scholarship opportunity,” and apparently, pretty involved in the negotiating process.

The idea of a GM in college football even 10 years ago would have seemed almost blasphemous, but the position is growing in number and responsibilities with each passing year. Over the past few seasons, the importance of NIL and transfers has become impossible to ignore, with even coaches like Clemson's Dabo Swinney, an outspoken opponent, relenting, even if slightly.

And while some like Swinney will only agree to relatively minor or gradual changes for now, McGuire, Blanchard, and Texas Tech are going the other way in hopes of transforming the Red Raiders into a College Football Playoff contender. It remains to be seen if they will be able to do that, but for now, they'll probably take being a Big 12 contender in 2025.

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