Do you know Texas Tech Red Raiders are so rich that they’ve got jealous rivals? Even Prime, being so rich, dreams of Tech coach being his friend, lending him some greens. Coach Joey McGuire has Tech sitting at No. 2 in the Big 12 for the 2026 class, with 19 verbal commits and a national ranking of 25th. It’s not just about quantity, either. It’s about quality. And no commit has made a bigger splash than five-star OT Felix Ojo. The Mansfield (Texas) native didn’t even have Texas Tech in his top schools. But money talks. And Lubbock, it turns out, speaks fluently.

The shocker came when Felix Ojo, the 275-pound mauler of a LT, picked the Red Raiders over powerhouses like Texas and Ohio State. It wasn’t just a recruiting win—it was a market-shifting, perception-altering stunner. The internet exploded when Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, went public with this jaw-dropper: his client had inked a fully guaranteed, three-year, $5.1 million revenue-sharing deal with Texas Tech. Let that marinate. A 17-year-old offensive lineman, who didn’t even list the Red Raiders initially, suddenly gets what amounts to NFL-level coin before playing a down of college football. But not so fast. The celebratory mood in Lubbock was interrupted by a reality check.

Sources close to the Texas Tech program pushed back on the number, with On3 reporting the actual value of the deal was closer to $775,000 per year. Still a staggering sum, especially for an OL. Over three years, that would put Ojo’s take-home closer to $2.3 million. Yet, Shelby stood by the figure he released, declining to share the specifics of the contract but reinforcing the headline number. That’s not just PR; it’s leverage. And if the market keeps moving toward a true pay-for-play model, there’s a clause baked in for renegotiation.

“Ojo’s agent, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management, publicized that the offensive tackle inked a fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million revenue-sharing deal. Sources around Texas Tech pushed back on the number, telling On3 that Ojo’s three-year deal is expected to pay an average of $775,000 annually. Shelby declined to share Ojo’s contract but backed his publicized financial figure,” reported On3 Pete Nakos.

You see how Joey McGuire is luring in athletes who didn’t even consider them at first. Regardless of where the truth lies on paper, Ojo remains one of the top-earning prospects in the 2026 cycle—and that’s the real headline. Texas Tech, of all places, walked in with enough economic firepower to compete with oil-backed Austin and NIL-happy Columbus. Money speaks loud in CFB nowadays. Now comes the hard part: turning revenue-share headlines into Big 12 wins.

If Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders can translate that momentum into wins on Saturdays, their influence on the recruiting trail will only continue to rise. They still has to prove it can develop players like Ojo into legitimate first-rounders. Still has to show it can beat Kansas State, Utah, and Oklahoma State when the pads come on.

Prime turns up the heat on Joey McGuire and later extinguished it too

Coach Prime didn’t need a mic drop at Big 12 Media Days—he let his words do the dancing. In a fiery, playful moment that echoed the swagger of his 1994 anthem “Must Be the Money,” Deion Sanders praised Texas Tech’s rising NIL game… then proceeded to torch the double standards he’s faced for doing the same.

“Joey got some money! Spending that money! I love it!” Sanders said, throwing love to Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire after Tech stunned the recruiting world by landing five-star Ojo. But it wasn’t just compliments. Sanders was quick to point out the hypocrisy swirling around the portal and NIL conversations. “Once upon a time, you guys were talking junk about me going into that portal. Now, when everybody go into the portal, it’s OK. It’s cool when they do it. But it’s a problem when I do it. Ain’t that a rap song?” he said with a smile and a knowing nod.

Wasn’t done. With that signature charisma, he tossed in a shot and a wink to Lubbock’s big-spending program: “Can you send a few more dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?” And just like that, Colorado-Texas Tech might’ve quietly become college football’s most NIL-fueled friendly rivalry.