For weeks, the tension between Texas and Texas Tech has mostly lived in the world of comments and indirect shots. Nobody has scheduled a showdown. Nobody has signed a home-and-home agreement. But the feud is far from over because while Steve Sarkisian hasn’t publicly responded to Joey McGuire’s scheduling challenge, he’s sending a message another way by recruiting the Red Raiders’ crown jewel.

According to ESPN’s Eli Lederman, 5-star DL Jalen Brewster, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class, will officially visit Texas this weekend. That’s a headline that probably won’t sit well in Lubbock because he’s the face of Texas Tech’s future.

Jalen Brewster committed to the Red Raiders back in October 2025 and became the highest-profile commit in program history. He’s currently ranked as the No. 1 player in America, the No. 1 DL in the country, and the No. 2 prospect in Texas. And with all the places that the Cedar Hill star had been to, Joey McGuire has reasons to feel insecure. 

Despite his commitment status, Jalen Brewster’s recruitment is still very much active. He spent last weekend at LSU. Before that, he took visits to Indiana and Miami. Florida remains heavily involved, too, and now Texas gets its turn. Again. Before committing to Texas Tech last year, he visited Austin twice. The relationship with Steve Sarkisian’s staff never disappeared, though. Now it’s being revisited at a time when emotions between the two programs are already running hot.

The Red Raiders currently have two 5-star commitments, including elite edge rusher Anthony Sweeney. Together, these blue-chip recruits represent the kind of recruiting haul that Texas Tech fans could only dream about a few years ago. 

The question now is if this commit will actually sign. Jalen Brewster has given Texas Tech fans reason to be nervous. Earlier this year, DL coach Zarnell Fitch left the program. Shortly afterward, Rivals asked him whether his commitment remained solid. His response was a resounding “no.” So, yeah, uncertainty is already there. 

Now Jalen Brewster will visit Austin before heading back to Lubbock for his official visit to Texas Tech on June 19. The Red Raiders will get their chance to remind him why he committed in the first place. Still, the warning signs are there. Multiple visits since committing can only mean he’s looking for a better fit. And it will add salt to their wound if Steve Sarkisian ultimately gets him. 

Of course, Texas Tech has one advantage, and that’s financial firepower. Cody Campbell and the Red Raiders have shown they’re willing to spend big to compete with top programs. The question is how far they’re willing to go to keep their most important recruit. Every time you sweeten a deal, you create a new expectation for future recruits to follow. But if it’s Texas with the biggest threat, you never know what they would pull off after their heated tension. 

Joey McGuire is still challenging Steve Sarkisian for his jab

The whole feud began after Steve Sarkisian took what many interpreted as a shot at the Big 12 while discussing CFP evaluations.

“There’s a team in our state in another conference with a schedule that I would argue, if I played with our 2s and 3s, we could go undefeated, and they’ll probably make the CFP this year,” he said. 

Everyone knew who he was talking about. Texas Tech had just finished a breakthrough 12-2 season, captured the Big 12 title, and reached the playoffs. For Joey McGuire and Cody Campbell, it was proof that their aggressive NIL strategy could possibly turn the Red Raiders into a national contender. The program assembled a roster valued at around $28 million for the 2025 season and landed one of the nation’s best transfer portal classes. 

That’s why Steve Sarkisian’s comments hit them hard. And Joey McGuire wasn’t about to let them slide. At the Big 12 spring meetings, he openly challenged Texas to prove those words on the field. He revealed that he had even approached officials from Texas State and Abilene Christian about restructuring schedules to create a Week 1 matchup between the two Lone Star State programs.

“We can figure out if their twos and threes can win this conference,” he said. 

That challenge remains unanswered as neither Steve Sarkisian nor Texas AD Chris Del Conte has publicly responded. But if actions speak louder than words, Texas showing up in Jalen Brewster’s recruitment says plenty. Because stealing their top commit would do more than just hurt Texas Tech’s recruiting rankings. It would once again shake the foundation Joey McGuire is building after Brendan Sorsby’s complication. 

Meanwhile, Joey McGuire hasn’t backed away from verbal sparring either. While discussing a future home-and-home series with a college football blue blood, he took another shot at Texas.

“It won’t be Texas because they’re scared,” he commented. 

His comment won’t disappear quickly. Neither will Texas, hosting the No. 1 recruit committed to Texas Tech. And that’s what makes this story bigger than one recruiting visit. This is about two programs fighting for influence within the state. One is college football royalty. The other is trying to buy, recruit, and build its way into that conversation. For now, there’s no Texas-Texas Tech game on the schedule. But the battle is already happening.