Since NIL has become legal, Division I colleges all over the country have worked day and night to raise funding so that they can compete in the new world of college athletics.
Not many schools have built up their funding like Texas Tech, and in the wake of the new House v. NCAA settlement, the Red Raiders are increasing their spending even further.
Texas Tech is ‘Perhaps the Highest-Paying College Athletics Program in the Country’
The House v. NCAA settlement changed the NIL landscape from a world of boosters and businessmen to a revenue-sharing model allowing college athletic departments to share up to $20.5 million annually with their athletes.
The Red Raiders, who have some of the strongest NIL funding in the country, are reportedly spending up to $55 million on their athletes this season between revenue sharing and their Red Raider Club, which is responsible for the school’s outside fundraising.
It’s believed Texas Tech will pay its players $55 million (revenue sharing + NIL) among all its programs this year, making the Red Raiders perhaps the highest-paying college athletics program in the country, sources tell @CBSSports. https://t.co/Kw7KdwJCzA
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) June 9, 2025
This is an unprecedented amount of money, and it would instantly make Texas Tech a school that can compete for top players in all athletics.
This comes with a few caveats. The Red Raiders can use the $20.5 million in revenue sharing with little to no regulation, as all schools in the country can spend that. However, due to the settlement, outside collectives like the Red Raider Club will be much more regulated, and many of those payments could be blocked by the NCAA and College Sports Commission.
However, if the Red Raiders can spend the $55 million they are prepared to, the sky is the limit for Texas Tech regarding talent acquisition and retention.
Texas Tech has already been making major strides before revenue sharing was implemented. Their football program just wrapped up the 2025 transfer portal cycle by bringing in the second-ranked transfer class in the entire country.
KEEP READING: Alabama AD Greg Byrne Drops Truth Bomb on NCAA House Settlement
In the 2024 and 2025 recruiting cycles, the Red Raiders brought back-to-back top-25 classes (including the portal) for the first time in program history. Texas Tech has never been a top football program, only winning double-digit games once since the turn of the century.
With the kind of money the aiders are willing to spend, there’s no doubt how good they can become (barring the right coaching staff). The money is flowing in Lubbock, and the talent is rushing in. $55 is a lot of money, and we could see the Red Raiders be at the top of every sport fairly soon.
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