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Texas Tech athletics is having a moment, and Kirby Hocutt wants to strike while iron's hot
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- Texas Tech athletics is having a moment, and Kirby Hocutt wants to strike while iron's hot
WICHITA, Kan. — The Texas Tech athletic department is having a moment, and director of athletics Kirby Hocutt thinks multiple Red Raider programs have a chance to keep that momentum rolling.
In the course of the last four months, Texas Tech has become a key talking point in the college sports landscape. Between Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech football team's NIL spending spree to upgrade the roster, JT Toppin and the men's basketball team being a Top 10 team nationally heading into today's NCAA Tournament opener against UNCW, NiJaree Canady being worth the money for the softball team, which leads the Big 12 Conference standings through two weeks, plus the Tech track and field teams sweeping the Big 12 indoor titles earlier this month, everything's coming up scarlet and black as of late.
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In this new-look and expanded Big 12, there is no marquee school everyone points to as the gold standard. Texas and Oklahoma, deservedly or not, occupied that space until they departed for the SEC. Now, the conference needs a new head honcho, and Hocutt thinks Texas Tech has taken a step toward being just that.
More: How Christian Anderson carved out role for a Texas Tech basketball team with Final Four dreams
"We're definitely proud of the success that we've had this year," Hocutt told the Avalanche-Journal, "but fully recognize that the landscape of college athletics is evolving."
Hocutt attributed Tech's recent run of success to several factors, starting with the players and coaches leading their teams, the Matador Club's financial support through NIL dealings and the fan support that comes with the teams.
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But to be that new standard — the school others try to emulate and envy — Hocutt knows this is just the first step.
Texas Tech director of athletics Kirby Hocutt speaks during the Red Raider Club kickoff luncheon on Thursday, August 22, 2024, in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.
"Is this the year to take a significant step to permanently place Texas Tech athletics at the top of the Big 12? I would say we've taken a significant step there," Hocutt said. "We need to have a great run in March, and we need to get to Arlington and play for the Big 12 Conference football championship. That's the next step, I think, to solidify ourselves in that top spot in the Big 12. We've got to get to Arlington and win that football game."
Potential approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement next month is something that could alter Tech's standing in this regard. While NIL won't fully go away when the revenue sharing model kicks in, it will look very different with all deals over $600 needing to go through a clearinghouse before they can be finalized with the athletes.
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During the Texas Tech basketball team's open practice on Wednesday in INTRUST Bank Arena, Hocutt had a lengthy conversation with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, who was in town as a representative for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Hocutt said the discussion centered on how schools can and should handle things in the post-House era.
More: JT Toppin's ascent from underdog to alpha has Texas Tech basketball in prime March Madness position
"We've all got to commit ourselves to stay in between the parameters that are being set by the House settlement case, the $20.5 million in revenue share," Hocutt said. "There's got to be strong enforcement mechanisms around that maximum amount, as well as market value in the NIL category and space."
In late December, Hocutt and deputy athletics director Jonathan Botros said the idea is for the Matador Club to cease operations on July 1, when the proposed revenue sharing model would begin. Texas Tech would then manage NIL deals with players through the Red Raider Club. To sustain those dealings, Tech would need to continue filling that coffer through donations and fundraising.
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"We're just going to continue to be nimble, willing to change and be proactive and play offense," Hocutt said, "and to be able to invest in our programs, but specifically and strategically in the programs that have a chance to significantly elevate our brand just beyond the Big 12 Conference, and that's football and our basketball program."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Is Texas Tech on track to being Big 12's new athletic power?
