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In one night, Texas Tech football puts hype on display while building more for the future
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- In one night, Texas Tech football puts hype on display while building more for the future
After nine long, arduous months of talk, speculation and plenty of nonsensical hyperbole , the Texas Tech football team finally put its much-hyped 2025 team on display Saturday night in Jones AT&T Stadium.
A sellout crowd showed up — at least for a half, thanks to the weather — to see the Red Raiders they've heard so much about. Was Arkansas-Pine Bluff the ideal opponent to get the things rolling? Hardly, but it was a nice appetizer, the start of the slow build to Big 12 Conference play in September to see what this team can accomplish together.
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Much could be made about the 67-7 thumping of the Golden Lions, but the Red Raiders have bigger fish to fry down the line. For now, it's a good start to what is expected to a great season.
Simply destroying an inferior FCS opponent wasn't the only thing the Red Raiders accomplished on Saturday night. Regardless of how the 2025 season ends — in Arlington, the College Football Playoff or the Pop-Tarts Bowl — Joey McGuire, his staff and the rest of the program cannot let this be a one-year thing.
As much hype as there is surrounding the transfer portal haul orchestrated from December to April, most of those players won't be around longer than a year or two. Sustainability is the best indicator of program success. McGuire has generated that in his first three years. The all-in effort to make 2025 the year of Texas Tech shows he and mega-booster Cody Campbell want even more.
More: Texas Tech football receives commitment from 5-star 2027 OL Cooper Hackett
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To do that, you need to keep building. That can't be done just by bringing in a bunch of transfers every year. Since McGuire was hired, his stance has always been to construct the Texas Tech roster mostly with high school recruits and supplement positions of need through the portal. Going deep into the transfer market for this season is contradicts that idea a bit.
That doesn't mean that's how things are always going to be. Recruiting high school players is always going to be the bread and butter of college football. And McGuire, along with general manager James Blanchard, are making sure all this newfound attention doesn't go to waste.
The first domino came in July when 2026 five-star offensive lineman Felix Ojo committed to Texas Tech. He'll headline what's currently a 19-player class that'll sign on in December. The fun hasn't stopped there.
Earlier this month, Tech got another pledge from a five-star recruit, this one coming from outside linebacker LaDamion Guyton , considered among the top overall prospects for the 2027 recruiting class.
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And during Saturday's 90-minute rain delay, Texas Tech landed another big fish in 2027 five-star offensive lineman Cooper Hackett . Rather than sit around and wait to resume the game, the Red Raiders made even more headlines off the field.
Building for the future while also staying in the present is something regular human beings have difficulty achieving, though it's the exact kind of mentality football coaches must have. The 2025 team could be the best in Texas Tech history, but if the Red Raiders follow that up with poor showings with lesser players after that, it'll be a waste of time for everyone.
Turning this attention into something tangible that can feed generations of Texas Tech fans should be the ultimate goal. McGuire, Campbell and Blanchard know that as well as anyone. Get all the David Baileys and Lee Hunters out of the portal you want. Those one-year rentals won't be the deciding factor of what happens five, 10, or 20 years from now. However, their arrivals and play can attract even more high-quality players to look at what's happening in Lubbock and see the future for what the current crop wants it to become.
Ojo, the first of three five-stars to commit this summer, shared his enthusiasm for Hackett's commitment saying on X (formerly Twitter), "When I Tell You We Are Here WE ARE HERE!"
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For all this to work, Texas Tech can't let 2025 be the be-all, end-all. With Hackett's commitment in the midst of a game, the Red Raiders showed they know what's at stake this season and beyond.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football showcases the present with an eye to future
