Joey McGuire calls Texas Tech a ‘disruptor of college football’ in NIL era

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire (Photo by Mark Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Last year, as Joey McGuire and Texas Tech made their run to a Big 12 title, the storyline throughout the year was about the program’s increased investment. The Red Raiders’ roster was among the most expensive in college football as the program capitalized through NIL and revenue-sharing.

As he looked back, McGuire said it was important for Texas Tech to “embrace” the narrative about how much the program spent. But with the 2026 season on the horizon, he called the Red Raiders a “disruptor” in college football and has no plans on slowing down.

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McGuire said Texas Tech doesn’t shy away from the conversation about its investment and pointed to comments from booster and board chair Cody Campbell to show that. In fact, a now-famous 2024 post from Campbell in response to a fan asking for him to “buy” an offensive line for the Red Raiders. He responded with two words, “I will,” and the post appeared on T-shirts – one of which is in McGuire’s office.

But McGuire said that exchange summed up Texas Tech’s mindset in college football’s new era. It’s why he thinks the Red Raiders are in position to continue their upward trajectory.

“You’ve got to love that, hey, we’re upfront with it,” McGuire said on Bussin’ With The Boys. “And a lot of people weren’t, that were spending more than we were. But they didn’t want to come upfront with it because I think they thought their logo was going to carry the power of what their logos have carried.

“I think that’s why we’re the disruptor of college football. Our logo, necessarily, hadn’t been in the forefront in this sport. Now, we’re trying to make sure that we’re in the forefront and then, we’re staying there.”

Joey McGuire: ‘We’re here for real’

Last summer marked a wave of change in college athletics as the House settlement ushered in revenue-sharing. It opened the door for schools to directly share up to $20.5 million with athletes, and that figure is expected to grow to $21.3 million this summer.

Following approval, Joey McGuire recalled conversations with officials at Texas Tech to figure out a plan to navigate the new-look landscape. Of course, Cody Campbell is a big part of that, and McGuire pointed to a now-famous Campbell social media post to sum up the school’s mindset.

McGuire’s goal is to avoid being a one-hit wonder after last year’s College Football Playoff appearance. He wants Texas Tech to stay atop the sport, and he pointed to how the school has invested in the program beyond NIL and rev-share to make his point.

“Last year, we embraced it to get everybody understand that we’re here to play,” McGuire said. “We wanted the players around the country to understand that all the negative recruiting that can take place of, like, ‘There’s nothing out in West Texas,’ and, ‘What are the facilities like? What are they doing?’

“Well, you walk into the Womble Football Center, it’s the best facility in the country. It goes head-to-head with anything that’s out there. And then, you turn around and we’re sharing at the highest level. We wanted to make sure that everybody understood we’re here for real and it just is not a one-year deal.”