Nobody has been as aggressive or successful in their approach to landing top-flight transfer portal talent as Texas Tech in the 2025 portal cycle.
Now, it appears that it’s only going to get better, as Joey McGuire and company are projected to land one of the best young offensive linemen in the country.
On Thursday, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer logged a projection for Texas Tech to land Colorado transfer center Cash Cleveland, who is fresh off a season in which he earned Freshman All-American honors.
Texas Tech has received a @247Sports Crystal Ball pick for Colorado True Freshman All-American center Cash Cleveland from @chris_hummer.
— 247Sports Transfer Portal (@247SportsPortal) April 24, 2025
Cleveland began an official visit to Lubbock on Wednesday.https://t.co/GKScEWFvyI pic.twitter.com/w0338OYcpP
While some of the other names that Texas Tech has landed in this cycle have drawn more attention, adding Cleveland might be one of the most substantial moves that they make all offseason.
The offensive line has been a point of contention in Lubbock for the last couple of years, and getting improved play there could be the difference in them competing for a Big 12 title.
Cleveland appeared in six games for the Buffs last season, including four starts, and actually broke through to the top of the depth chart as a true freshman walk-on.
After his outstanding season, Colorado opted not to reward him with a scholarship, so he decided to enter the transfer portal ahead and try his luck somewhere else.
Cleveland’s been a hot commodity since entering the portal, hearing from programs like Texas A&M, North Carolina, Stanford, Mississippi State, Arizona and West Virginia, among others.
According to On3’s team rankings, the Red Raiders have the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country by a wide margin. TTU’s index score of 90 is significantly better than the No. 2 portal class (Ole Miss), which has a score of 69.
For context, the difference between No. 1 and No. 2 is about the same as the difference between the No. 6 class (Auburn, 40) and the No. 21 transfer class (Kansas State, 19).
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!