After the end of the College Football season, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have quietly become one of the biggest stories in the sport. The Red Raiders went all in using the transfer portal, beating out several blue bloods along the way to build a roster capable of winning the Big 12 and making a run in the College Football Playoff. As Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports reported that Texas Tech spent $55 million on its roster, they quickly became one of the most interesting programs to follow.
As Texas Tech dominated the transfer portal using NIL, the question arose as to how soon they would attempt to replicate it through traditional recruiting. On July 4th, the Red Raiders answered that question beating out their In-State rival for one of the most sought after players in the Country.
Texas Tech makes a massive splash landing 5-star Tackle Felix Ojo
On Friday, Offensive Tackle recruit Felix Ojo announced his commitment picking the Red Raiders over the Longhorns giving Joey McGuire a massive win on the recruiting trail.
BREAKING: Five-Star OT Felix Ojo has Committed to Texas Tech, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 4, 2025
The 6’7 290 OT chose the Red Raiders over Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, & Florida
“A new ERA of CFB is coming either jump on the train or get left behind. Go Raiders!”https://t.co/p5CYQomCVB pic.twitter.com/GLYl7gsQal
The Texas Longhorns appeared in the best position to land Felix Ojo for most of this recruiting cycle making it a stunner that Texas Tech won out late. The Red Raiders started to trend on Thursday Night as On3's recruiting insiders placed their predictions for Texas Tech to land Ojo.
NEW: Rivals’ @samspiegs and @SWiltfong_ have logged expert predictions for Texas Tech to land 5-star OT Felix Ojo🌵
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 3, 2025
Read: https://t.co/5X3J4NUwFm pic.twitter.com/2GFzuXKlqF
The Texas Tech Red Raiders landing Felix Ojo is an incredible win for Joey McGuire and his staff as they now have a ton of momentum going forward in this cycle. According to On3's Industry Recruiting Rankings, Felix Ojo is the 6th ranked recruit in the Country, the 3rd ranked offensive tackle in the class, and the top player out of Texas.
While landing Felix Ojo over Texas is a massive addition for recruiting purposes, the Red Raiders just made a massive statement. As long as the Texas Tech boosters are willing to pony up the money to keep winning these battles, they're going to be a force on the recruiting trail. Following Texas Tech's season will be fascinating as if it pans out this season, this could become a storyline on a yearly basis.