In today’s college football landscape, roster construction has morphed into a high-stakes financial game. The price of chasing a championship is skyrocketing. Some coaches say that number may soon push past $40 million. Just five years ago, such figures would’ve drawn laughter. Now? They’re reality. And Texas Tech Red Raiders, under coach Joey McGuire, is sprinting straight into that reality with its foot on the gas and its checkbook wide open.

Joey McGuire isn’t exactly on the hot seat after a solid 23-16 record over his first three seasons in Lubbock. But the pressure? It’s there—and growing. The GoPowercat Podcast crew recently voiced a worry that cuts through the excitement: “I think I guess if I had to pick one colossal flop that could happen is Tech because Kansas State basketball fans have seen how sometimes this initiation of portal players into your roster doesn’t go as planned and they don’t mesh.” The hosts clarified they don’t believe disaster is imminent. “I think Tech’s going to be good,” one added, “but boy, it’s hard to figure out who’s going to be awful in this conference right now.” That uncertainty is exactly what makes this situation so combustible.

The core of that concern lies in the sheer volume of new faces. Texas Tech added 21 players through the transfer portal this offseason. That includes second-team All-Big 12 defensive lineman Lee Hunter, a game-wrecker from UCF. In theory, this kind of retooling is a power move—a signal that the Red Raiders are serious about contending now. But in practice, chemistry matters. Culture matters. And when you pour gasoline on a roster and hope it ignites into championship fire, sometimes you just get flames.

And yet, Tech’s front office isn’t blinking. According to a CBS Sports report by Brandon Marcello, the Red Raiders are expected to pay out $55 million to student-athletes in 2025, believed to be the highest figure in the country. Of that, an estimated $20-30 million is being funneled into football roster construction alone. That’s not just aggressive. That’s revolutionary. It makes Tech the tip of the spear in NIL warfare.

Of course, there’s risk baked into this approach. If these portal pickups gel, Tech could break through in the new-look Big 12 and vault into CFP relevance. But if they don’t? You’ve spent more than most Power 4 programs to end up exactly where you started. The room for error? It’s about as wide as a goalpost in a windstorm. With the bar so high, six or seven wins won’t cut it—not when boosters are writing $30 million checks and expecting parades.

The biggest wild card might not even be a player—it’s the environment. NIL regulations remain murky, and revenue sharing could soon shift the landscape again. For Joey McGuire and Tech, the question isn’t if pressure exists—it’s when pressure peaks. With NIL and revenue sharing reshaping balance sheets, Texas Tech is betting big.

Texas Tech’s million-dollar moment

The money’s flowing, and so are the expectations in Lubbock. Texas Tech’s boosters have dug deep to keep the Red Raiders competitive in the ever-evolving Big 12 arms race, and head coach Joey McGuire knows exactly what that means—there’s no hiding from the pressure now.

“It’s time to win,” McGuire told Ari Wasserman of On3. “Is there more pressure this year? 100%. But I’d rather be in this situation. I’d rather be in the situation I’m in than being the guy who is like, ‘man, we have to have a lot of stuff go our way.’” That’s not just coach-speak—it’s a man fully embracing the heat, knowing full well that big spending comes with even bigger demands.

He’s not messing around. McGuire understands this roster wasn’t assembled on blind hope. It’s a $20-30 million project, with portal stars, NIL support, and now, a fanbase expecting fireworks. But he’s leaning into the moment. “Whatever happens, at least you know you have a roster where you can say you have the bullets in the gun to go friggin’ fight our tails off and see what happens,” he said. “It’s all on me and us coaches to get this thing to come together.”