STORY: Caleb Douglas settled into Lubbock, ready to help lead Texas Tech into 2024 pres. by Treeline Vacation Rentals
- By J. Apodaca
- Inside The Double T
- 3 Replies
Nice convo with Douglas. About to talk with all of the defensive guys now.
texastech.rivals.com
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Caleb Douglas settled into Lubbock, ready to help lead Texas Tech into 2024
Caleb Douglas has settled into his new home and is back in the state of Texas.
Be sure to book with TreeLine Vacation Rentals if you are in need of a Broken Bow, Oklahoma cabin rental. All Red Raiders get a $200.00 discount (enter code RRS) and direct booking with no additional fees.
TreeLine Vacation Rentals – Broken Bow, OK
Craig Crawford (@crawfordTT)
214-228-0892
TreeLine Owner craig@vacationtreeline.com
TreeLine can also build, sell & manage investment properties in Broken Bow -- one of the best investment opportunities in the nation right now!
The Athletic: The unprecedented million-dollar recruitment of the nation's best softball player
- Inside The Double T
- 82 Replies
A deep dive into the game-changing pursuit of Canady. This is bigger than just softball. For the poors, I've also copied and pasted.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/56...ech-nil-million-dollar-contract/?redirected=1
Jul 29, 2024
17
John and Tracy Sellers arrived in Lubbock, Texas, the evening of Monday, July 22, with dinner reservations and an intention: to woo the best college softball player in the world to play for Texas Tech.
The dinner was at Las Brisas, a white-tablecloth steakhouse just south of Texas Tech’s campus that serves up lobster guacamole and a 25-ounce bone-in ribeye. The player was NiJaree Canady, USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year.
There were six seats at the table: the Sellers, Marc McDougal (a board member of the Matador Club, a Texas Tech-affiliated name, image and likeness collective), Canady and her parents. No coaches or university administrators. Just a few well-connected Tech supporters and a family with a menu full of options. The group made fast friends over a nearly three-hour meal.
Canady, a 6-foot pitching phenom from Topeka, Kan., was visiting Lubbock for the first time. She was less than two months removed from leading Stanford to the Women’s College World Series semifinals as a sophomore, garnering mainstream headlines in the process. A few weeks later, she entered the transfer portal, the biggest star of a burgeoning sport hitting the open market.
The youngest person at the table that night, Canady held all the power. But she also had a tough decision ahead, still wary of leaving Stanford behind. Texas Tech softball isn’t on the same level as Stanford, and cowers in comparison to a blue blood like Oklahoma, but the Sellers could offer a distinct perspective. John played football for the Red Raiders under Mike Leach. Tracy played softball at Tech and was on the search committee for newly hired softball manager Gerry Glasco, whom Tech lured from Louisiana after five Sun Belt Conference titles and a .773 winning percentage in seven seasons.
The Sellers could offer distinct resources, too. John co-founded Double Eagle Energy, a multi-billion-dollar upstream oil-and-gas company that operates in the nearby Permian Basin region of West Texas. He also co-founded Matador Club, which he oversees with business partner and fellow Red Raiders alum Cody Campbell. The collective aims to sign every athlete on campus to an NIL deal – achieving it in football, men’s and women’s basketball, softball, baseball, track and golf, including $25,000 each for football players and $10,000 each for softball. In 2022, the Sellers gifted Texas Tech athletics $11 million, with $1 million going toward facility upgrades to Rocky Johnson Field, Tech’s softball stadium.
And on Monday night at Las Brisas, the Matador Club was prepared to make Canady a ceiling-shattering NIL offer: $1 million. But Canady wasn’t ready to accept it.
She wanted to tour the Tech campus and facilities on Tuesday and spend time with coach Glasco. She wanted to discuss her decision with her former Stanford teammates and coaches. She wanted to weigh her options. All of it only endeared her to the Sellers even more.
“She’s a superstar,” John Sellers said. “I wanted her to make the best choice she thought she could make.”
Less than 48 hours later, they got the answer they were hoping for. Canady announced on social media Wednesday afternoon that she was committing to Texas Tech, and Matador Club announced it had signed Canady to an NIL agreement soon after. The contract is for one year and $1,050,024, as The Athletic previously reported. It’s believed to be the highest-ever NIL contract for a softball player — by a wide margin.
The $24 is for Canady’s jersey number. The $50,000 is for living expenses. And the $1 million is for Canady.
John Sellers declined to comment on the specific amount but described it as “a life-changing” deal. “She deserves it,” he added. “She’s a complete game-changer for any program, but especially a place like Tech.”
Her commitment is a coup for a school with six NCAA Tournament appearances in softball, most recently in 2019, that has never reached a WCWS. But as college football and basketball have become increasingly defined by the big-money free agency fueled by NIL and the portal, Canady’s million-dollar transfer marks a similarly seismic moment for college softball.
“It’s absolutely unprecedented for an annual compensation for a D-I softball player,” said Blake Lawrence, the CEO of Opendorse, a company that facilitates and manages NIL deals. “Canady might be getting paid more than every single softball player in her conference combined.”
Canady dominated in her two years pitching at Stanford, leading the nation in ERA as a freshman (0.57) and sophomore (0.65) and registering a sport-leading 337 strikeouts in 230.2 innings pitched in 2024. Her pitches feature a lethal combination of velocity and movement, particularly a near-unhittable rise ball that leaves a trail of hapless batters in its jetstream.
“She’s one of a kind,” said ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza, a former Stanford outfielder. “She’s not just a pitcher. She can win games just on her own, and we haven’t really seen a pitcher like that in our sport, we’ve actually got away from that.”
According to an individual with knowledge of Canady’s transfer and NIL negotiations this offseason and two other sources involved with Stanford, Canady’s family first approached Stanford’s NIL collective, Lifetime Cardinal, in the spring of her freshman season in 2023. The family was seeking a seven-figure offer.
At that point, Stanford had been slow to embrace an NIL landscape drifting deeper into pay-for-play, and the athletic department had yet to claim an affiliation with Lifetime Cardinal. The collective didn’t extend an offer to Canady after her freshman season, and it came as a surprise to some there when she did not enter the portal in 2023.
Canady declined an interview for this article through representatives from her management team and Texas Tech. Canady’s mother, Katherine, did not respond to requests for comment.
This past April, Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir gave the department’s official blessing to Lifetime Cardinal, which has since involved several former Stanford athletes, including quarterback Andrew Luck, in the collective.
By the time Stanford reached a second straight WCWS last month, all parties realized a bidding war was coming for Canady’s right arm — but few outside of Lubbock could have predicted the final sale price. The going rate for a star pitcher in the portal was believed to be in the $100,000-$150,000 range.
Canady entered the transfer portal on June 17, drawing immediate attention from several elite programs. Texas Tech had to play catch-up. Glasco was hired June 20, and once he finally could reach out to Canady, he primarily dealt with her manager. Canady wanted to focus on traveling to Japan with USA Softball for an all-star event in early July, and her family wanted to insulate her as much as possible from what it knew would be a spirited recruiting process.
“It was different than any other recruitment I’ve been involved with,” said Glasco. “They really had a business-like approach to it early on.”
It also became clear that NIL would be a motivating factor in Canady’s ultimate destination. A person familiar with the negotiations said Lifetime Cardinal made Canady an offer shortly before she entered the portal on the last day the window was open.
Canady also changed management teams, and her new representation quickly fielded both scholarship and NIL offers, Texas Tech and Matador Club among them. Canady’s recruitment out of high school was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, so when she returned from Japan earlier this month, she leaned into her second chance on the trail, scheduling visits to Tennessee, Alabama, UCLA and Kansas, her home-state school, while still leaving open the possibility of a return to Stanford.
Upon hearing about potential six-figure NIL offers being floated elsewhere, Lifetime Cardinal worked to raise more funds from a wider pool of donors, including several Stanford softball alums, and was preparing to make a much larger offer later this month that would be “within shouting distance” of Tech’s, according to a person with knowledge of Canady’s transfer process.
“(Lifetime Cardinal was) incredibly competitive with every offer that NiJa was having thrown at her, and that’s saying something,” said Mendoza.
Still, Stanford’s chances of retaining the coveted ace withered after she touched down in Lubbock. Following dinner with the Sellers and McDougal on Monday night, Tech rolled out the Red Raiders carpet on Tuesday. Glasco gave Canady and her parents a tour of the facilities. He walked her through the roster he had already put in place for next season, featuring eight other transfers, five of whom followed him from Louisiana, including Sun Belt Player of the Year Mihyia Davis. Glasco knew Canady wants to hit too, emphasizing that she wouldn’t be confined to the circle.
Canady had expressed interest in personal branding and social media, so Glasco arranged a meeting to address how Tech could help foster that. They even appealed to the family’s Chiefs fandom, highlighting the school’s recently announced apparel deal with Adidas that features a brand partnership with Red Raiders alum Patrick Mahomes and his signature Adidas gladiator logo.
Glasco spared no detail, asking for the landscaping around the facilities to be touched up, the infield lined at Rocky Johnson Field and the scoreboard lit up for the visit.
“It was absolutely amazing to me to see how the entire athletic department jumped in to help us recruit,” said Glasco. “When NiJa first got here, I think there was a lot of skepticism that she might not like this place, this is a waste of her time. And the minute she walked on campus and saw the beauty, felt the love, things just clicked and we got the result that we got.”
Just before 3:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday afternoon, Canady posted a tweet thanking Stanford for “the ride of a lifetime” while announcing Texas Tech as her new home, just above a photo of her seated on a throne in a Red Raiders uniform.
“These past two years at Stanford have been nothing but incredible — I truly mean that,” Canady told ESPN. “My goal every year is to win the Women’s College World Series, so that’s my goal right now. … I think there’s a good young core coming in and a lot of good players from Louisiana.”
“We’re disappointed we won’t be able to continue nurturing (Canady’s) growth, but understand the dilemma she and her family were faced with,” Muir said. “It’s not my place to judge her and their decisions. We understand it and respect it.”
Eleven minutes after her commitment post, the Matador Club sent a tweet welcoming Canady to Lubbock. The Texas Tech softball account posted a link for season ticket deposits minutes later.
“I definitely think NiJa’s felt the love and support she’s going to get at Tech,” John Sellers said. “It speaks to what we’re willing to do here to create a good culture and win a lot of games, no matter what sport it is.”
(Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
How significant Canady’s $1 million NIL deal is to college softball and women’s sports writ large can’t be overstated.
Tech athletics generated $146.8 million in revenue in fiscal year 2023, according to the department’s NCAA financial forms, with football responsible for $80.3 million. Softball generated $1.38 million, but that includes the Sellers’ $1 million donation, and after expenses still posted a $1.15 million deficit. (In fiscal year 2022, softball generated just over $340,000 and operated at a deficit of $1.44 million.) Glasco’s new coaching contract reportedly will pay him $1.33 million over five years, including $250,000 next season. Oklahoma’s Patty Gasso, believed to be the highest-paid coach in college softball, is set to make $1.8 million in 2024.
A select few women’s college players — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Livvy Dunne – have springboarded to national sponsorships and mainstream prominence in the NIL era. Still, Canady represents a new frontier for an Olympic, non-revenue sport.
Her NIL haul with Matador Club didn’t reset the market. It obliterated it.
“(Canady will) forever be the one of the faces of the early NIL transfer portal stories,” said Sue Enquist, UCLA’s seven-time national champion head coach from 1989-2006 and a trailblazer in the sport. “From a business perspective, it’s great to see our sport keeping pace with other sports that are growing.”
Yet with that degree of growth and attention also comes a certain level of scrutiny. Texas Tech softball, suddenly boasting World-Series aspirations, will have to shoulder the pressure that comes with those well-funded expectations.
All of it further emphasizes the arrival of big-money NIL into the sport.
“If Caitlin Clark would have entered the transfer portal after her sophomore year, where would the bidding war have ended up, knowing what you know now?” OpenDorse’s Lawrence said. “The bet here is that the rise of women’s sports, the rise of softball viewership, and a once-in-a-generation talent like Caitlin Clark is on the market.
“The $1 million payment,” he added, “could be justified.”
— The Athletic‘s Jayna Bardahl and Tobias Bass contributed to this report.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/56...ech-nil-million-dollar-contract/?redirected=1
The unprecedented million-dollar recruitment of the nation’s best softball player
Justin Williams and Stewart MandelJul 29, 2024
17
John and Tracy Sellers arrived in Lubbock, Texas, the evening of Monday, July 22, with dinner reservations and an intention: to woo the best college softball player in the world to play for Texas Tech.
The dinner was at Las Brisas, a white-tablecloth steakhouse just south of Texas Tech’s campus that serves up lobster guacamole and a 25-ounce bone-in ribeye. The player was NiJaree Canady, USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year.
There were six seats at the table: the Sellers, Marc McDougal (a board member of the Matador Club, a Texas Tech-affiliated name, image and likeness collective), Canady and her parents. No coaches or university administrators. Just a few well-connected Tech supporters and a family with a menu full of options. The group made fast friends over a nearly three-hour meal.
Canady, a 6-foot pitching phenom from Topeka, Kan., was visiting Lubbock for the first time. She was less than two months removed from leading Stanford to the Women’s College World Series semifinals as a sophomore, garnering mainstream headlines in the process. A few weeks later, she entered the transfer portal, the biggest star of a burgeoning sport hitting the open market.
The youngest person at the table that night, Canady held all the power. But she also had a tough decision ahead, still wary of leaving Stanford behind. Texas Tech softball isn’t on the same level as Stanford, and cowers in comparison to a blue blood like Oklahoma, but the Sellers could offer a distinct perspective. John played football for the Red Raiders under Mike Leach. Tracy played softball at Tech and was on the search committee for newly hired softball manager Gerry Glasco, whom Tech lured from Louisiana after five Sun Belt Conference titles and a .773 winning percentage in seven seasons.
The Sellers could offer distinct resources, too. John co-founded Double Eagle Energy, a multi-billion-dollar upstream oil-and-gas company that operates in the nearby Permian Basin region of West Texas. He also co-founded Matador Club, which he oversees with business partner and fellow Red Raiders alum Cody Campbell. The collective aims to sign every athlete on campus to an NIL deal – achieving it in football, men’s and women’s basketball, softball, baseball, track and golf, including $25,000 each for football players and $10,000 each for softball. In 2022, the Sellers gifted Texas Tech athletics $11 million, with $1 million going toward facility upgrades to Rocky Johnson Field, Tech’s softball stadium.
And on Monday night at Las Brisas, the Matador Club was prepared to make Canady a ceiling-shattering NIL offer: $1 million. But Canady wasn’t ready to accept it.
She wanted to tour the Tech campus and facilities on Tuesday and spend time with coach Glasco. She wanted to discuss her decision with her former Stanford teammates and coaches. She wanted to weigh her options. All of it only endeared her to the Sellers even more.
“She’s a superstar,” John Sellers said. “I wanted her to make the best choice she thought she could make.”
Less than 48 hours later, they got the answer they were hoping for. Canady announced on social media Wednesday afternoon that she was committing to Texas Tech, and Matador Club announced it had signed Canady to an NIL agreement soon after. The contract is for one year and $1,050,024, as The Athletic previously reported. It’s believed to be the highest-ever NIL contract for a softball player — by a wide margin.
The $24 is for Canady’s jersey number. The $50,000 is for living expenses. And the $1 million is for Canady.
John Sellers declined to comment on the specific amount but described it as “a life-changing” deal. “She deserves it,” he added. “She’s a complete game-changer for any program, but especially a place like Tech.”
Her commitment is a coup for a school with six NCAA Tournament appearances in softball, most recently in 2019, that has never reached a WCWS. But as college football and basketball have become increasingly defined by the big-money free agency fueled by NIL and the portal, Canady’s million-dollar transfer marks a similarly seismic moment for college softball.
“It’s absolutely unprecedented for an annual compensation for a D-I softball player,” said Blake Lawrence, the CEO of Opendorse, a company that facilitates and manages NIL deals. “Canady might be getting paid more than every single softball player in her conference combined.”
Canady dominated in her two years pitching at Stanford, leading the nation in ERA as a freshman (0.57) and sophomore (0.65) and registering a sport-leading 337 strikeouts in 230.2 innings pitched in 2024. Her pitches feature a lethal combination of velocity and movement, particularly a near-unhittable rise ball that leaves a trail of hapless batters in its jetstream.
“She’s one of a kind,” said ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza, a former Stanford outfielder. “She’s not just a pitcher. She can win games just on her own, and we haven’t really seen a pitcher like that in our sport, we’ve actually got away from that.”
According to an individual with knowledge of Canady’s transfer and NIL negotiations this offseason and two other sources involved with Stanford, Canady’s family first approached Stanford’s NIL collective, Lifetime Cardinal, in the spring of her freshman season in 2023. The family was seeking a seven-figure offer.
At that point, Stanford had been slow to embrace an NIL landscape drifting deeper into pay-for-play, and the athletic department had yet to claim an affiliation with Lifetime Cardinal. The collective didn’t extend an offer to Canady after her freshman season, and it came as a surprise to some there when she did not enter the portal in 2023.
Canady declined an interview for this article through representatives from her management team and Texas Tech. Canady’s mother, Katherine, did not respond to requests for comment.
This past April, Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir gave the department’s official blessing to Lifetime Cardinal, which has since involved several former Stanford athletes, including quarterback Andrew Luck, in the collective.
By the time Stanford reached a second straight WCWS last month, all parties realized a bidding war was coming for Canady’s right arm — but few outside of Lubbock could have predicted the final sale price. The going rate for a star pitcher in the portal was believed to be in the $100,000-$150,000 range.
Canady entered the transfer portal on June 17, drawing immediate attention from several elite programs. Texas Tech had to play catch-up. Glasco was hired June 20, and once he finally could reach out to Canady, he primarily dealt with her manager. Canady wanted to focus on traveling to Japan with USA Softball for an all-star event in early July, and her family wanted to insulate her as much as possible from what it knew would be a spirited recruiting process.
“It was different than any other recruitment I’ve been involved with,” said Glasco. “They really had a business-like approach to it early on.”
It also became clear that NIL would be a motivating factor in Canady’s ultimate destination. A person familiar with the negotiations said Lifetime Cardinal made Canady an offer shortly before she entered the portal on the last day the window was open.
Canady also changed management teams, and her new representation quickly fielded both scholarship and NIL offers, Texas Tech and Matador Club among them. Canady’s recruitment out of high school was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, so when she returned from Japan earlier this month, she leaned into her second chance on the trail, scheduling visits to Tennessee, Alabama, UCLA and Kansas, her home-state school, while still leaving open the possibility of a return to Stanford.
Upon hearing about potential six-figure NIL offers being floated elsewhere, Lifetime Cardinal worked to raise more funds from a wider pool of donors, including several Stanford softball alums, and was preparing to make a much larger offer later this month that would be “within shouting distance” of Tech’s, according to a person with knowledge of Canady’s transfer process.
“(Lifetime Cardinal was) incredibly competitive with every offer that NiJa was having thrown at her, and that’s saying something,” said Mendoza.
Still, Stanford’s chances of retaining the coveted ace withered after she touched down in Lubbock. Following dinner with the Sellers and McDougal on Monday night, Tech rolled out the Red Raiders carpet on Tuesday. Glasco gave Canady and her parents a tour of the facilities. He walked her through the roster he had already put in place for next season, featuring eight other transfers, five of whom followed him from Louisiana, including Sun Belt Player of the Year Mihyia Davis. Glasco knew Canady wants to hit too, emphasizing that she wouldn’t be confined to the circle.
Canady had expressed interest in personal branding and social media, so Glasco arranged a meeting to address how Tech could help foster that. They even appealed to the family’s Chiefs fandom, highlighting the school’s recently announced apparel deal with Adidas that features a brand partnership with Red Raiders alum Patrick Mahomes and his signature Adidas gladiator logo.
Glasco spared no detail, asking for the landscaping around the facilities to be touched up, the infield lined at Rocky Johnson Field and the scoreboard lit up for the visit.
“It was absolutely amazing to me to see how the entire athletic department jumped in to help us recruit,” said Glasco. “When NiJa first got here, I think there was a lot of skepticism that she might not like this place, this is a waste of her time. And the minute she walked on campus and saw the beauty, felt the love, things just clicked and we got the result that we got.”
Just before 3:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday afternoon, Canady posted a tweet thanking Stanford for “the ride of a lifetime” while announcing Texas Tech as her new home, just above a photo of her seated on a throne in a Red Raiders uniform.
“These past two years at Stanford have been nothing but incredible — I truly mean that,” Canady told ESPN. “My goal every year is to win the Women’s College World Series, so that’s my goal right now. … I think there’s a good young core coming in and a lot of good players from Louisiana.”
“We’re disappointed we won’t be able to continue nurturing (Canady’s) growth, but understand the dilemma she and her family were faced with,” Muir said. “It’s not my place to judge her and their decisions. We understand it and respect it.”
Eleven minutes after her commitment post, the Matador Club sent a tweet welcoming Canady to Lubbock. The Texas Tech softball account posted a link for season ticket deposits minutes later.
“I definitely think NiJa’s felt the love and support she’s going to get at Tech,” John Sellers said. “It speaks to what we’re willing to do here to create a good culture and win a lot of games, no matter what sport it is.”
(Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
How significant Canady’s $1 million NIL deal is to college softball and women’s sports writ large can’t be overstated.
Tech athletics generated $146.8 million in revenue in fiscal year 2023, according to the department’s NCAA financial forms, with football responsible for $80.3 million. Softball generated $1.38 million, but that includes the Sellers’ $1 million donation, and after expenses still posted a $1.15 million deficit. (In fiscal year 2022, softball generated just over $340,000 and operated at a deficit of $1.44 million.) Glasco’s new coaching contract reportedly will pay him $1.33 million over five years, including $250,000 next season. Oklahoma’s Patty Gasso, believed to be the highest-paid coach in college softball, is set to make $1.8 million in 2024.
A select few women’s college players — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Livvy Dunne – have springboarded to national sponsorships and mainstream prominence in the NIL era. Still, Canady represents a new frontier for an Olympic, non-revenue sport.
Her NIL haul with Matador Club didn’t reset the market. It obliterated it.
“(Canady will) forever be the one of the faces of the early NIL transfer portal stories,” said Sue Enquist, UCLA’s seven-time national champion head coach from 1989-2006 and a trailblazer in the sport. “From a business perspective, it’s great to see our sport keeping pace with other sports that are growing.”
Yet with that degree of growth and attention also comes a certain level of scrutiny. Texas Tech softball, suddenly boasting World-Series aspirations, will have to shoulder the pressure that comes with those well-funded expectations.
All of it further emphasizes the arrival of big-money NIL into the sport.
“If Caitlin Clark would have entered the transfer portal after her sophomore year, where would the bidding war have ended up, knowing what you know now?” OpenDorse’s Lawrence said. “The bet here is that the rise of women’s sports, the rise of softball viewership, and a once-in-a-generation talent like Caitlin Clark is on the market.
“The $1 million payment,” he added, “could be justified.”
— The Athletic‘s Jayna Bardahl and Tobias Bass contributed to this report.
LIVE CHAT Fall Camp Eve Chat pres. by All Hands Craft Cocktails
- By J. Apodaca
- Inside The Double T
- 79 Replies
Tomorrow is Texas Tech's local media day and we will have you covered there as Tech's fall camp gets rolling. Football season is almost here. I am helping @J. Ramirez move this morning but I will get to your questions at some point this morning, so fire away. Hope everyone is as excited for the season to get back going as I am.
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
@ALL HANDS
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
@ALL HANDS
SCOTUS proposal
- By whittb14
- The Everything Else Forum (Red Raiders Only)
- 17 Replies
Biden, at LBJ Library, blasts Supreme Court and proposes major changes — The Washington Post
President urges term limits and ethics code, saying they are needed to restore confidence. Conservatives say he just doesn’t like the court’s recent rulings.
On the surface I like it a lot. I think 18 years would be a great term limit in general for any federal official.
Yes, I’m aware the motive but I think the end result makes SCOTUS better. I think there needs to be some backend work as well tho to prevent justices being bought off by what the fall into after serving similar to what we see with politicians, fda, etc
RECRUITING: Texas Tech after local star athlete Chase Campbell - Fueled by Chocolate Milk
- By B. Golan
- Inside The Double T
- 6 Replies
Texas Tech after local star athlete Chase Campbell
2026 Frenship athlete Chase Campbell talks interest in Texas Tech + overall recruitment
Caught up with one of the top 2026 targets for the latest.
Perfect for passionate Texas Tech fans like us, chocolate milk isn’t just a delicious treat—it’s packed with nutrients that keep you energized. Whether you’re finishing a workout, tailgating, celebrating a big win, or just need a tasty pick-me-up, chocolate milk is your go-to drink for strength and recovery AND treating yo’ self! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to a season of victories and unforgettable moments with chocolate milk by our side.
Check out everything there is to know about chocolate milk (plus milk, cheese, yogurt, YOU NAAAAME it), and the hardworking dairy farmers that provide it for you here: https://www.dairymax.org/
@Williermo
STORY: Five Fall Camp Questions: Defense pres. by All Hands Craft Cocktails
- By J. Apodaca
- Inside The Double T
- 28 Replies
Well, we are less than ten days out from the expected start of Texas Tech's fall camp and after taking a look at what the biggest storylines on the offensive side of the ball last week, it's time for a look at Tim DeRuyter's group heading into year three.
Will any separation be created at the defensive end positions during camp?
This group has a fair amount of questions heading into the season but seems to be a very deep group this year. After losing Myles Cole to the draft and Steve Linton to the transfer portal, there are some significant snaps to be replaced from last season and Tech will have the bodies to do it.
Dylan Spencer, Amier Washington, Isaac Smith, Joseph Adedire, Charles Esters and Harvey Dyson are all viable options at the position but I am curious to see if there will be any tipping of the hand during camp of what the rotation of four will be to open the year. I would assume that Adedire, Spencer, Washington and Smith are the leaders in the clubhouse for those spots but after a good spring from Dyson and Esters, it will be interesting to see play out.
With a depleted and injury stricken room off the edge during spring camp, it will be a very important time for OLBs coach CJ Ah You, who seemed bullish about the group back in April but hadn't seen the completed product with Smith, Spencer and Adedire all missing some time throughout the spring.
Who wins the free safety & STAR battles and how do they effect one another?
This is probably the biggest question heading into the season on the defensive side of the ball. With Dadrion Taylor-Demerson off to the NFL, the Red Raiders have a massive void to fill at the free safety spot to play in tandem with now veteran leader CJ Baskerville.
The expectation is that Tech's battle between Chapman Lewis and Jordan Sanford will continue into the spring for the starting spot that was voided by Rabbit. However, it has been alluded to a couple of times throughout spring camp that Tech could shift AJ McCarty, the transfer from Baylor who was ineligible last season, to free safety if he does not beat out Brendan Jordan for the starting spot at STAR.
In my opinion, it will come down to who the staff believes is the best pair of defenders at their positions but I would find it hard to keep McCarty off the field with his athletic prowess and experience relative to the trio of second year safeties in Jordan, Sanford and Lewis but we will find out over the next month or so on that front.
Will the corner position be up to snuff?
This is a question that is likely to not be answered until the season is really getting going but it is a position that I am going to try to pay a bit more attention to when at the practice facility during camp.
With a lot of turnover from this position from last year, it is up to Bralyn Lux and Maurion Horn to shoulder the majority of the snaps for the Red Raiders at the position which is a pair with a lot of experience in Lux and very minimal experience in Horn. It's expected that Jalon Peoples and Canadian junior college transfer Devynn Cromwell will round out the rotation of corners to start, which should create a very physical unit at the position this season, but it is a group with minimal experience to start the season.
Inside linebacker two-deep will be?
This might be a forgone conclusion with three experienced players primed to play key roles at this position in Jacob Rodriguez, Ben Roberts and Bryce Ramirez all hoping to have a healthier and more continuous season.
Beyond that trio, it seems that redshirt freshman Lubbock local John Curry will have the opportunity to jump into the two-deep after an excellent spring but will have to beat out the experienced returning guys in Wes Smith and Trent Low alongside exciting young prospects with interesting potential in Miquel Dingle and Justin Horne.
Curry looked the part and was really strong in individual drills back in the spring and it will be interesting if he can keep up the momentum heading into the season.
Will the quartet at defensive tackle replace Bradford & Hutchings?
We all know what Tech's losing up front on the defensive line with Tony Bradford and Jaylon Hutchings out of the fold but this group of DTs is almost certainly the most experienced and deep room that has been here under McGuire.
McGuire has mentioned the struggle that was for him and the coaching staff in 2022 with minimal depth behind Bradford and Hutchings, which should be different this season for Tech, and I'll be fascinated to see how the defensive snap counts compare to 2022 and 2023, seen below.
2022:
Hutchings - 747 - 75%
Bradford - 659 - 66%
Blidi - 223 - 22%
Scott - 238 - 24%
All others (Burris, Banks, Carrell) - 42
2023
Bradford - 672 - 69%
Hutchings - 497 - 51%
Ledet - 378 - 39%
Banks - 237 - 24%
McAlpine - 127 - 13%
All others (Burris, Rigsby, Cofield) - 73
Tech has a pair of transfers in Rice's De'Braylon Carroll and Utah State's James Hansen bringing in significant experience into Zarnell Fitch's room this season while E'Maurion "Dooda" Banks and Quincy Ledet are back after quality contributions last season. Tech's depth doesn't end there as Tre'Von McAlpine seems primed to have the chance to see the field this season while Braylon Rigsby and Robert Wooten round out the "seven" defensive tackles that McGuire mentioned at Big 12 Media Days earlier this month.
There are a lot less questions surrounding the defense which is a bit surprising based on the amount of lost production at each position relative to last season, but it seems that Tech will be in a good position here with plenty of pieces to the puzzle heading into 2024, so long as Tim DeRuyter can put the puzzle together this year.
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
@ALL HANDS
Will any separation be created at the defensive end positions during camp?
This group has a fair amount of questions heading into the season but seems to be a very deep group this year. After losing Myles Cole to the draft and Steve Linton to the transfer portal, there are some significant snaps to be replaced from last season and Tech will have the bodies to do it.
Dylan Spencer, Amier Washington, Isaac Smith, Joseph Adedire, Charles Esters and Harvey Dyson are all viable options at the position but I am curious to see if there will be any tipping of the hand during camp of what the rotation of four will be to open the year. I would assume that Adedire, Spencer, Washington and Smith are the leaders in the clubhouse for those spots but after a good spring from Dyson and Esters, it will be interesting to see play out.
With a depleted and injury stricken room off the edge during spring camp, it will be a very important time for OLBs coach CJ Ah You, who seemed bullish about the group back in April but hadn't seen the completed product with Smith, Spencer and Adedire all missing some time throughout the spring.
Who wins the free safety & STAR battles and how do they effect one another?
This is probably the biggest question heading into the season on the defensive side of the ball. With Dadrion Taylor-Demerson off to the NFL, the Red Raiders have a massive void to fill at the free safety spot to play in tandem with now veteran leader CJ Baskerville.
The expectation is that Tech's battle between Chapman Lewis and Jordan Sanford will continue into the spring for the starting spot that was voided by Rabbit. However, it has been alluded to a couple of times throughout spring camp that Tech could shift AJ McCarty, the transfer from Baylor who was ineligible last season, to free safety if he does not beat out Brendan Jordan for the starting spot at STAR.
In my opinion, it will come down to who the staff believes is the best pair of defenders at their positions but I would find it hard to keep McCarty off the field with his athletic prowess and experience relative to the trio of second year safeties in Jordan, Sanford and Lewis but we will find out over the next month or so on that front.
Will the corner position be up to snuff?
This is a question that is likely to not be answered until the season is really getting going but it is a position that I am going to try to pay a bit more attention to when at the practice facility during camp.
With a lot of turnover from this position from last year, it is up to Bralyn Lux and Maurion Horn to shoulder the majority of the snaps for the Red Raiders at the position which is a pair with a lot of experience in Lux and very minimal experience in Horn. It's expected that Jalon Peoples and Canadian junior college transfer Devynn Cromwell will round out the rotation of corners to start, which should create a very physical unit at the position this season, but it is a group with minimal experience to start the season.
Inside linebacker two-deep will be?
This might be a forgone conclusion with three experienced players primed to play key roles at this position in Jacob Rodriguez, Ben Roberts and Bryce Ramirez all hoping to have a healthier and more continuous season.
Beyond that trio, it seems that redshirt freshman Lubbock local John Curry will have the opportunity to jump into the two-deep after an excellent spring but will have to beat out the experienced returning guys in Wes Smith and Trent Low alongside exciting young prospects with interesting potential in Miquel Dingle and Justin Horne.
Curry looked the part and was really strong in individual drills back in the spring and it will be interesting if he can keep up the momentum heading into the season.
Will the quartet at defensive tackle replace Bradford & Hutchings?
We all know what Tech's losing up front on the defensive line with Tony Bradford and Jaylon Hutchings out of the fold but this group of DTs is almost certainly the most experienced and deep room that has been here under McGuire.
McGuire has mentioned the struggle that was for him and the coaching staff in 2022 with minimal depth behind Bradford and Hutchings, which should be different this season for Tech, and I'll be fascinated to see how the defensive snap counts compare to 2022 and 2023, seen below.
2022:
Hutchings - 747 - 75%
Bradford - 659 - 66%
Blidi - 223 - 22%
Scott - 238 - 24%
All others (Burris, Banks, Carrell) - 42
2023
Bradford - 672 - 69%
Hutchings - 497 - 51%
Ledet - 378 - 39%
Banks - 237 - 24%
McAlpine - 127 - 13%
All others (Burris, Rigsby, Cofield) - 73
Tech has a pair of transfers in Rice's De'Braylon Carroll and Utah State's James Hansen bringing in significant experience into Zarnell Fitch's room this season while E'Maurion "Dooda" Banks and Quincy Ledet are back after quality contributions last season. Tech's depth doesn't end there as Tre'Von McAlpine seems primed to have the chance to see the field this season while Braylon Rigsby and Robert Wooten round out the "seven" defensive tackles that McGuire mentioned at Big 12 Media Days earlier this month.
There are a lot less questions surrounding the defense which is a bit surprising based on the amount of lost production at each position relative to last season, but it seems that Tech will be in a good position here with plenty of pieces to the puzzle heading into 2024, so long as Tim DeRuyter can put the puzzle together this year.
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
@ALL HANDS
OFFER: 2026 Pflugerville athlete Jaivion “Scoop” Martin
- By B. Golan
- Inside The Double T
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Perfect for passionate Texas Tech fans like us, chocolate milk isn’t just a delicious treat—it’s packed with nutrients that keep you energized. Whether you’re finishing a workout, tailgating, celebrating a big win, or just need a tasty pick-me-up, chocolate milk is your go-to drink for strength and recovery AND treating yo’ self! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to a season of victories and unforgettable moments with chocolate milk by our side.
Check out everything there is to know about chocolate milk (plus milk, cheese, yogurt, YOU NAAAAME it), and the hardworking dairy farmers that provide it for you here: https://www.dairymax.org/
@Williermo
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Perfect for passionate Texas Tech fans like us, chocolate milk isn’t just a delicious treat—it’s packed with nutrients that keep you energized. Whether you’re finishing a workout, tailgating, celebrating a big win, or just need a tasty pick-me-up, chocolate milk is your go-to drink for strength and recovery AND treating yo’ self! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to a season of victories and unforgettable moments with chocolate milk by our side.
Check out everything there is to know about chocolate milk (plus milk, cheese, yogurt, YOU NAAAAME it), and the hardworking dairy farmers that provide it for you here: https://www.dairymax.org/
@Williermo
