Texas Tech is the Big 12’s juggernaut after outspending the 2024 national champs

Texas Tech is reportedly outspending last year’s title-winning Ohio State team for their 2025 roster, and it has some part in immediately putting the Red Raiders among the national heavyweights.

TTU is second in points per game and seventh in points allowed per game in the FBS thanks to a roster that was acquired and retained thanks to billionaire booster Cody Campbell, who mobilized the Matador Club NIL collective to the tune of over $28 million, according to NIL-tracker at On3.

Last year’s Buckeyes roster reportedly cost $20 million, believed to be the previous high.

It’s been a sound investment for the boosters, as Tech is 6-0 for the first time since 2013, ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll and has won every game by at least 24 points.

Texas Tech is one of two teams (Indiana) in the top 10 of points and total yards both offensively and defensively, winning games by an average of 35.3 points.

The closest thing to a close game the Red Raiders have seen was at Utah, when they led by three with 10 minutes remaining before scoring three unanswered touchdowns to run away with a 34-10 win.

Texas Tech added around solid, returning leaders on both sides in quarterback Behren Morton and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez — both of whom appeared on the Big 12 availability report. That means Saturday at Mountain America Stadium will be a massive challenge for ASU.

Where did Texas Tech upgrade its roster the most?

One of Texas Tech’s prominent offseason additions was former Stanford EDGE David Bailey, who leads the nation with 8.5 sacks and also has 9.5 tackles for loss.

He’s just one of the big-ticket defensive line additions that the Red Raiders have dominated behind, the others being Georgia Tech transfer Romello Height (4.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL), UCF transfer Lee Hunter, Northern Illinois transfer Skyler Gill-Howard and Houston transfer Anthony Holmes Jr.

Bailey and Height rank as the second and third-best EDGEs in the country, respectively, per PFF.

Each of Hunter, Holmes and Gill-Howard are in the top 20 of interior linemen.

All five defensive linemen are above the $600,000 threshold, per On3’s NIL valuations. For comparison, Sam Leavitt ($1.9 million) and Jordyn Tyson ($1 million) are the only Sun Devils above the threshold.

The defense has absolutely suffocated opposing quarterbacks and offenses in general.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels may have had the best game statistically against the Red Raiders last week (272 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-33 passing), but he was crucially sacked nine times.

Kansas gained 319 total yards of offense, and the previous high Texas Tech had given up was 289 yards.

Remember that Utah quarterback who just diced up the ASU defense for 120 rushing yards by himself as Arizona State gave up 272 total rushing yards? Utah gained just 263 yards total against Tech.

The unit will be at least slightly shorthanded at ASU on Saturday, as Gill-Howard was ruled out and Height is questionable.

Offensively, the money was spent on retaining quarterback Morton and shoring up its O-line, which meant bringing in left tackle Howard Sampson (North Carolina) and left guard Will Jados (Miami Ohio) as well as retaining center Sheridan Wilson.

Tech reportedly outbid Ohio State for USC transfer running back Quinten Joyner, but his impact hasn’t been felt yet due to a season-ending injury before he could get started.

It also hasn’t been needed, as returning backs J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey have dominated behind the reformed line.

The duo has nearly rushed for a combined 1,000 yards after Dickey’s program-record 263 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas last week. Williams had a string of three straight games with 100 scrimmage yards before that game.

There were already important receivers in the building between Coy Eakin and Caleb Douglas, and additions like Reggie Virgil (Miami Ohio) and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. (Louisiana) have been the icing on the cake.

Catch ASU-Texas Tech at 1 p.m. MST on Saturday on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. It will be televised on FOX.

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