Story by
Inside Texas Tech softball's recruitment, signing of star pitcher NiJaree Canady
- Story by
- Inside Texas Tech softball's recruitment, signing of star pitcher NiJaree Canady
Gerry Glasco heard it from all directions. Can you even recruit kids to Lubbock, Texas?
Glasco wasn't entirely sure, but he liked what athletics director Kirby Hocutt had to say. The support was going to be there to help the new head coach of the Texas Tech softball team succeed. He also knew exactly what needed to be done when he took over the Red Raiders.
Advertisement
"I thought it was really important," Glasco said Thursday, "that we moved quick and we made a loud statement."
Over his first month as coach, Glasco reconfigured the roster, bringing in slew of transfers — many following him from Louisiana to Lubbock — and keeping the second-ranked recruiting class assembled by former head coach Craig Snider in tact.
FIRST REACTION: Star transfer NiJaree Canady joining Texas Tech softball behind reported $1 million NIL deal
All those moves were nice, but the proverbial grenade landed Wednesday, sending shockwaves not just through Texas Tech , but the national softball landscape as a whole.
Advertisement
NiJaree Canady, the reigning USA Softball collegiate player of the year, announced she would be transferring from Stanford — where she led the Cardinal to back-to-back Women's College World Series appearances — to Texas Tech, a program that hasn't made the postseason since 2019.
Glasco said his phone has been blowing up ever since news broke of Canady's commitment, which was formalized Thursday morning, and her name, image, and likeness deal with the Matador Club was first reported. Minutes after Canady announced her commitment, The Athletic/New York Times posted a story saying Canady "signed a one-year, $1,050,024 deal with Texas Tech's collective Matador Club," citing a person familiar with the deal.
But how, and why, did this all come together? Glasco provided a look into the process.
How NiJaree Canady wound up with Texas Tech softball
Canady spent her freshman and sophomore seasons at Stanford, where she led the nation in ERA both years (0.57 as a freshman, 0.65 last year) and was also the nation's best at strikeouts, earning 337 in 230.2 inning pitched, in 2024.
Advertisement
She entered the transfer portal in mid June, while Glasco was still coaching at Louisiana. Hired at Tech later that month, Glasco got to work assembling his maiden roster, bringing the likes of Sun Belt player of the year Mihyia Davis, pitcher Chloe Riassetto, catcher Victoria Valdez and infielder Lauren Allred and Alexa Langeliers with him from the Ragin' Cajuns.
All the while, Glasco, hearing about the resources being at Texas Tech provided him, made a call to Canady to put his name in the hat. Canady quickly told Glasco to contact her representation, Prestige Management, to discuss things with them. If she liked what they had to say, Canady told Glasco, she'd reach out later.
"She had a lot of stuff going on and obviously a player of her magnitude, things quickly turned into a circus," Glasco said, "with thousands of coaches calling her and texting her and her family had to protect her from that, which I thought was interesting and I thought. ... very different from what we're used to working with, I thought it was very important."
OKLAHOMA PERSPECTIVE: Texas Tech?!?!: How NiJaree Canady's commitment to Red Raiders shocked softball world
Advertisement
Glasco was willing to play the game, so he abided by Canady's wishes. He started to hear rumors about the dollar amount Canady was going to garner from wherever she wound up, and Glasco wasn't going to concern himself with that aspect — mostly because he can't. Per NCAA rules, coaches and athletic department administrators are not allowed to be involved with NIL dealings. Those were out of his control.
But Glasco still had control of the situation, though he had to work fast. He knew that Canady wasn't going to join a team with middling talent. That would be a waste of her time. Each move made through the transfer portal, adding his Louisiana players, keeping the recruiting class together, would go a long way into having a chance.
"She was wanting to do her due diligence," Glasco said. "She wanted to research everything. Very thorough, very thought out recruiting process that she laid out. That gives me time to build the roster to the point that she could get excited about it when she saw it on paper."
Details of the recruiting visit
In the last month, Canady spent time in Oklahoma City with Team USA Softball Women's Elite Team before heading over to Japan for a series of games. Glasco told Canady he wasn't going to bother her during that time.
Advertisement
"I want you to be a 21-year-old athlete," Glasco told Canady. "Enjoy and pitch. ... and I'm gonna leave you alone."
Instead of direct contact, Glasco start talking to her Team USA coaches, getting a read on her mannerisms, her personality in a team setting, what she was looking for in a new collegiate destination.
Finally came Tech's chance. Canady and her family scheduled an on-campus visit that lasted three days, so Glasco went to work. It was an all-hands-on-deck scenario for the athletic department.
"I asked can we get the bushes trimmed at the field, can we get all the flowers and all the plants and all the landscaping all redone for this visit," Glasco said, "and we had like three days and they did it."
Advertisement
Specific emblems on the scoreboard. Lining the infield. Meetings with social media teams to talk about boosting Canady's personal brand. All of it done with the hope that it would pay off.
"Resource after resource, people jumped up," Glasco said, "and this is the time of year when college campuses are shut out. Absolutely amazing and inspiring to me to see how the athletic department jumped in to help us recruit. They realized the magnitude."
The Benjamins of it all
As big of a fish that Canady is for Texas Tech, in both softball and the athletic department as a whole, most will point to the reported seven-figure payday coming Canady's way for how it all came together. Glasco doesn't see it that way, though he knows it changes a lot of things.
Advertisement
"It wasn't about money," Glasco said. "There was money involved, a lot of money, right? ... It shocked me when I saw the number I've seen in the paper. But what I do know is that it wasn't about money because if it was about money it would've been over a long time ago. It would have been simple."
Glasco noted that on several occasions during the Canady family's visit, Katherine, Nija's mother, said "I feel safe here" and they felt comfortable putting their daughter's life into the hands of the coach and Texas Tech.
"I think that's what they were looking for," Glasco said, "that they felt safe, and they felt like they're gonna be secure."
Glasco applauded Canady for how she went about her recruitment, taking her time to find the right destination that made sense for her and her future. He's also not too concerned that one of his own players will make four times what he will for the 2025 season — he's scheduled to make $250,000 and a little more than $1.3 million over the life of his five-year contract, which was obtained by the Avalanche-Journal.
Advertisement
Rather, his goal is to win, and having the best players possible makes that job a lot easier. It helps to add the best player in the country to a team he felt like could've competed at a high level before her. Bringing Canady into the fold has the eyes of the nation on the Red Raiders.
"Everyone involved with Texas Tech softball's extremely excited," Glasco said, "and obviously the players are all excited."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Here's how NiJaree Canady found her new home with Texas Tech softball
