College Football: How Texas Tech reloaded through the transfer portal once again in 2026

• An updated receiving corps: Starter Will Hammond will throw to new weapons like Donte Lee Jr. and Kenny Johnson.

• Get ready for draft day with PFF Fantasy: Build your rankings with the Fantasy Rankings Builder, practice with the Mock Draft Simulator, get real-time help from the Live Draft Assistant and dig into the Fantasy Draft Kit, Fantasy Rankings and PFF Premium Stats to make every pick with an edge.

After claiming conference championship glory last season with a roster built heavily through the transfer portal, Texas Tech cemented itself as the poster child of all that is possible in the NIL era. 

Situated in Lubbock, right on the doorstep of the richest oil basin in North America, Texas Tech has received backing from billionaire entrepreneur and former player Cody Campbell to spend as the Red Raiders see fit — with the goal of establishing Texas Tech among the premier programs in college football. 

It did not take long for Campbell’s investment to bear fruit. Texas Tech spent sensibly, with priority given to the trenches instead of flashy names at wide receiver or running back. The team’s dominant defensive line, led by big-ticket portal acquisition David Bailey, produced the second-most total pressures in the FBS. 

Bailey’s 15 sacks and 93.8 PFF pass-rushing grade led all FBS defenders. Almost a quarter of all opposing dropbacks against the Red Raiders involved Bailey hurrying, hitting or sacking the quarterback. His 79 total pressures trailed only Reuben Bain Jr., who played three additional games. 

However, once the season ended, Bailey was gone, along with the rest of Texas Tech’s starting defensive line. In total, the 2026 draft resulted in a school-record nine Red Raiders hearing their names called — the same number as the past five draft cycles combined. 

With that, Texas Tech was forced to reload once again. The school landed the sixth overall transfer portal class in the country this offseason, per 247Sports. Three of the schools ranked above them underwent head-coaching changes, naturally resulting in significant portal turnover. 

However, Texas Tech’s biggest portal acquisition, quarterback Brendan Sorsby, will not play any more college football following an offseason gambling scandal. Sorsby’s 90.3 overall PFF grade from last season ranked fourth among returning college quarterbacks. This is understandably a huge blow to the Red Raiders’ national championship contention as they move forward with redshirt sophomore Will Hammond, who has as many career turnover-worthy plays as big-time throws. 

Sorsby aside, Texas Tech still brings 21 new portal additions into the fold for the upcoming season. On the offensive side, three new wide receivers round out the aerial attack, highlighted by Kenny Johnson — who amassed 695 receiving yards at Pitt last year. The Red Raiders’ highest-graded addition on offense is former Liberty wideout Donte Lee Jr., who achieved an 80.1 PFF receiving grade last season with 566 receiving yards and no drops. 

As was the case last year, though, it’s defensive talent which Texas Tech has pursued much more aggressively. The team’s starting defensive front will consist of four redshirt senior transfers, with three more waiting in reserve.

Incoming edge defender Adam Trick was among the top overall performers at the Group of Six level last season for Miami (Ohio). His 91.3 overall PFF grade ranked eighth among all FBS edge defenders. Trick’s 67 pressures were tied with Akheem Mesidor for the fourth-most in college football and ahead of names like Colin Simmons, Matayo Uigalelei and Texas Tech’s Romello Height. 

The adjustment to a higher competition level will be the biggest question mark for Trick. The same goes for Texas Tech’s other highly-graded acquisitions from weaker conferences, including edge defenders Trey White (81.4 PFF grade at San Diego State) and Jamond Mathis (82.9 PFF grade at Kent State). 

There are fewer doubts about the interior of the defensive line, where Texas Tech acquired highly sought-after talent from the ACC and Big Ten. In particular, Mateen Ibirogba, formerly of Wake Forest, has a superb interior pass-rushing track record with 91 career pressures. However, his play tailed off toward the end of last season. 

Bryce Butler from Washington is a larger defensive tackle who should suitably replace Lee Hunter’s excellent run-defense capabilities. Butler has only played 350 career snaps, but he registered twice as many positively graded plays than negative plays against the run last season. 

Further back, linebacker Austin Romaine is the most established of all Texas Tech acquisitions with almost 1,500 career snaps over three years at Kansas State. Romaine failed to build on his elite 90.8 PFF grade in 2024 but was still fairly solid (76.6) on an otherwise disappointing Wildcats defense. Another strong season would’ve seen Romaine well on his way to a top-100 draft selection this offseason, but hope is not lost: He will return to college football to occupy the same role that paid dividends for Jacob Rodriguez in 2025.

There are no new faces in the starting secondary, but lucrative 2025 portal acquisition Brice Pollock is back for another season at cornerback. Following his excellent five-interception debut season in Lubbock, the 21-year-old is currently PFF’s 56th-ranked player on the 2027 NFL Draft Big Board. 

This roster loaded with quality will once again cost the school and its backers a pretty penny. However, a recent CBS Sports insider poll estimated the Red Raiders’ roster is not actually within the 12 most expensive in college football. 

That may come as a surprise. Texas Tech has become synonymous with NIL spending, but the financial arms race in the Big 12 exists on a different scale from the SEC and Big Ten. Six SEC programs were estimated to have larger payrolls than the Red Raiders, even though Texas Tech sits comfortably clear of its own conference rivals.

In theory, as long as Texas Tech comfortably outspends the remainder of its Big 12 rivals, the program will remain favorites to win the conference for years to come. But how easy is it to hit on portal acquisitions every single year? Perhaps the first offseason of big spending just so happened to be a home run. It’s unlikely that top investments will meet, if not exceed, expectations the way Bailey and others did last year. 

Is Texas Tech’s approach to college football dominance merely a quick dopamine hit of success for a year to two, or is there a pathway to building something long-lasting? The Red Raiders’ long-term sustainability ironically draws similar parallels to the very asset that has fueled their huge spending: Oil. 

The most obvious way in which portal-oriented colleges like Texas Tech can grow into more cost-effective, viable programs going forward is via recruiting. The promise of championship rings and a huge bankroll is very tempting for recruits. However, it’s not always easy to convince a 17-year-old high school prospect that Lubbock is their long-term home when the program is actively pursuing established 22-year-olds playing their position every spring. 

Despite this caveat, Texas Tech attracted the 18th-ranked recruiting class this past year, quite a respectable mark for a program that lost five or more games every single season from 2010 to 2024. There’s a long way to go for the 2027 class, but Texas Tech is currently ranked inside 247Sports’ top 10 with multiple five-star commits. 

Texas Tech is one of the most interesting case studies in college football to keep track of in coming seasons. Its floor is undeniably higher than the rest of the conference, but after whiffing on a big-ticket transfer quarterback before their season even began, the question is whether the Red Raiders can find sufficient upside to propel themselves into true national title contention year after year.