How much does a Big 12 title cost? Texas Tech football is about to find out
Texas Tech captured many of the college football headlines during the offseason.
After going 8-5 last season, the Red Raiders, with some help from billionaire booster Cody Campbell, went all-in on the transfer portal and landed the best transfer class in the country to put the Red Raiders on the same tier as schools such as LSU, Ole Miss and Miami.
The influx of investment has trickled down to the high school level where Texas Tech landed Mansfield Lake Ridge five-star Felix Ojo with a multi-million dollar deal. The Red Raiders could land another five-star, edge rusher LaDamion Guyton, in the 2027 class.
College football’s new revenue sharing era has allowed more money to come into Lubbock which has led to the most talented roster the program has seen.
But will it result in wins?
That’s the biggest question facing Texas Tech and the Big 12 entering the 2025 season.
“It’s been a fun offseason. We were really aggressive in the portal,” head coach Joey McGuire said Tuesday at Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star in Frisco. “I know there’s a lot of expectations on the team, we look at it is as opportunities. We have a great opportunity, I think this conference is really strong.
“There are a lot of teams that have some big opportunities to really make a statement and we’re planning on being one of them.”
$30 million investment
Making a statement won’t be enough for a roster that cost reportedly over $30 million to put together. Anything short of at least an appearance in the Big 12 title game would be a disappointment even though the Red Raiders haven’t won more than 10 games in a season since 2008.
That lack of big time success is one reason many opposing fans remain skeptical about the Red Raiders’ chances, but so far both the newcomers and veterans have done a good job of blocking out the noise.
“All we can do is keep our heads straight forward, don’t look to the left or the right, don’t worry about any of the outside noise,” linebacker Romello Height said. “All the hype and all the hating it’s going to be there, that’s the media. All we can do is get 1% everyday and take it day by day.”
Height is one of the many four-star transfer the Red Raiders brought in along with UCF transfer Lee Hunter and preseason All-Big 12 edge rusher David Bailey.
Height had a plethora of offers, but opted to spend his final season in Lubbock and while many will say it was all about the money, Height said it wasn’t so simple.
“When I came out here, I stepped foot in the building and the coaching staff was different, the facilities were different,” Height said. “It was top tier, they were so welcoming as soon as I stepped foot into the building. It felt like they were already my family like I’ve been knowing all of them.”
Hunter was a standout defensive tackle for the Knights last season and also had plenty of options to consider.
Finding good defensive linemen in the portal can be a difficult and expensive task, but the Red Raiders made Hunter feel valued on.
“When somebody comes into the picture and shows you your worth, you’ll go to war for them,” Hunter said. “I’m just thankful for Texas Tech, somebody came into my life and showed me what I was worth.”
Every college program wants to contend, but often they lack the resources. Texas Tech is putting its money where its mouth is with the investments to the roster and facilities for the program.
The result on paper at least is a complete transformation of a defense that ranked No. 122 in scoring defense last year.
“It’s unbelievable, those guys came in and brought in to what we were talking about,” preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jacob Rodriguez said. “I love those guys to death already and I think they’re going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.”
The Big 12 coaches spent the first day of media days stating how much they believe revenue sharing will level the playing field with the Big Ten and the SEC.
Texas Tech will serve as the first test case for whether or not you can buy your way into contender status.
It could end up being a disaster or it could serve as a signal to other across the Big 12 that the gap at the top of college football isn’t as wide as perceived.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 4:03 PM.
