If you’ve been hanging around any college football talk lately, you’ve probably caught the rumors — Texas Tech ain’t just dipping into NIL money, they’re doing the backstroke in it. Think oil-baron type bags. And just when folks thought it was all smoke, the Red Raiders pulled off one of the boldest flexes of the offseason. Two massive, Texas Tech-branded pumpjacks popped up outside Jones AT&T Stadium. And Texas Tech Football’s Landman (HC), Joey McGuire? The man’s not apologizing.
Texas Tech’s ‘Oil money’ narrative is fueling one of the most aggressive roster builds in college football. Word is, Tech’s rolling into 2025 with a $25 million roster, and they’ve got receipts. They didn’t just browse the transfer portal, they ransacked it. Snagging the likes of Stanford edge menace David Bailey, All-MAC wrecking ball Skyler Gill-Howard, and Georgia Tech’s heat-seeking linebacker Romello Height. When you’ve got alumni like Cody Campbell pumping oil money into NIL, you don’t play small ball.
And Tech’s showing they’re not here to whisper about it. The August 8th Instagram stunt with those black-and-red pumpjacks? Pure bait. College football Twitter went nuts. The next day, Joey McGuire doubled down at the presser. Asked about the jacks, he leaned right into the narrative: “I think we’re a university that knows who we are, and we’re proud of who we are, and we don’t shy away from it. When you’re talking about oil, we’ve got an incredible engineering school. We produce a lot of engineers that are doing phenomenal jobs. Some guys — Terry Fuller, Cody Campbell, Kevin Nolles, and whoever else was a part of it — they’re proud of it. And it’s also like, hey, if that’s what you’re gonna say we’re doing, then here you go. We’re not gonna shy away from it.” West Texas smells literally like money, oil money to be exact.
Campbell, who’s not just an alum but the CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings and now Chair of the Texas Tech System Board of Regents, has been a driving force behind the Matador Club’s NIL muscle. Same goes for Terry Fuller, oil and gas boss and Texas Tech benefactor. These guys are pumping their oil money into NIL deals to bring the big guns to Lubbock. And they’re going big-time: $5.1 million for five-star OT Felix Ojo in a three-year deal. Star softball ace NiJaree Canady? She’s got a seven-figure tag. Hoops phenom JT Toppin? Try $3 million on for size. But make no mistake — football is the crown jewel of this whole operation.
And it’s not just decor. On August 7th, they landed LaDamion Guyton, a five-star edge from Savannah’s Benedictine Military School, ranked No. 2 overall in 2027 by 247Sports. On3 says it took a $3.5 million NIL deal to make it happen. Structured over 3 seasons, starting at $1.4M and climbing, with potential bonuses. That’s big-boy money in recruiting, and it’s got rivals sweating. In today’s game, tradition alone won’t keep you competitive. You need horsepower. Tech’s got it — and they’re not apologizing. And Cody Campbell is moving like Jon Hamm from The Landman series. Love it or hate it, this oil-fueled momentum might just shift the Big 12 balance of power.
Joey McGuire’s take on Tech’s backs after scrimmage
One problem money can’t solve? Replacing Tahj Brooks. The all-time rushing leader at Tech wasn’t just a stat machine; he was the heartbeat of the offense. McGuire knows you don’t just hand that role to one guy. Since spring camp, he’s been clear: the Red Raiders are rolling out a backfield committee.
Enter USC transfer Quinten Joyner, plus returners J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey. Joyner brings that smooth Alvin Kamara-esque run. Williams? Certified home-run hitter. Dickey? Runs like he’s got a grudge against the turf. McGuire calls him a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle — “just a ball of muscle” — and the nickname sticks when you watch him lower his pads.
The first scrimmage only reinforced Joey McGuire’s hype and hopes. Williams found the end zone in a red zone lockout drill. Joyner and Dickey ripped off chunk runs against a defense that’s also had a facelift this offseason. Even redshirt freshman Adam Hill flashed, though McGuire sees his early role more on special teams. “Man, we got running backs,” McGuire said after practice. “If you said what is the biggest highlight on the offensive side of the ball is, us being able to run the football. We have got three really good running backs.” Coming from a coach who’s now got millions in roster talent elsewhere, that’s saying something.
Defensive captain Jacob Rodriguez co-signed that assessment. He sees these backs every day in practice, and to him, they’re all three-down threats: “They’re all three-down backs. All of them could take the entire drive. There’s nobody that comes in to do a certain thing. They all break tackles…They’re all shifty. They’re all quick…They all can put their head down and run. I’m very, very excited to see what happens with this running back battle as we go forward.” Rodriguez said. That’s bad news for Big 12 defenses already plotting how to handle Behren Morton under center.
Texas Tech went 9-4 in 2024, but with this kind of depth and the oil-fueled roster rebuild, McGuire’s crew isn’t just aiming higher — they’re expecting it. In Lubbock, the pumpjacks are pumping, the checks are clearing, and the wins? They might just come in gushers.
The post Joey McGuire Proud of ‘Oil’ Legacy as Peculiar Move Mocks Doubters Over $3.5M NIL Move appeared first on EssentiallySports.
