"He's a rockstar": Texas Tech GM reveals merits of having 3X SB champ Patrick Mahomes as brand ambassador of Red Raiders

The Texas Tech Red Raiders - under the leadership of Joey McGuire - are tipped to be a Big 12 underdog in the 2025 season. While speaking to CFB analyst Adam Brenneman on Friday, General Manager James Blanchard expressed no apprehensions about the program's future. He also discussed the support his program receives from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.

Blanchard claimed that Mahomes has grown into a virtual ambassador for the Red Raiders, not just for football but also baseball and other sports.

“I mean, you can catch him on the sideline doing interviews and man, video shoots that he has for endorsements. He's watching Texas Tech softball,” Blanchard said to Brenneman on Friday last week. [Timestamp - 12:00]

“He's tweeting about Texas Tech football. He has a bye week. He's in love with basketball and football. Man, there can't be many more, mega superstar alumni, the things that he's doing for the university, on and off the field. Endorsement wise, Adidas, everything is unimaginable. It's great. He's a rock star,” he added.

Patrick Mahomes played at Texas Tech from 2014 to 2016, where he recorded 11,252 yards and completed 857 of 1,349 passes. He also scored 93 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.

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James Blanchard and Joey McGuire will have major chunk of $20.5 million heading into 2025

Following the landmark judgement in the House vs NCAA settlement case, each participating P4 school will receive nearly $20.5 million to share among its athletic programs. According to the recent verdict by Claudia Wilken of the Northern District of California, almost 75% of this fund will be allocated to football programs. In contrast, the remaining funds will be shared among other sports, including basketball, baseball and others.

This gives McGuire and Co. access to almost $13 million to $16 million in 2025. An NIL Go clearinghouse will vet every other third-party NIL deal above $600. With recent success in the transfer portal and high school recruiting, Joey McGuire will look to capitalize on these extra funds for reloading the roster in the coming seasons.