Red Raiders' latest NIL deal may get Razorback fans' attention

A lot of people thought all that was coming to an end with the settlement. Apparently these NIL Collectives are still going strong and just got lawyers to tell them how to do it.

Now the question around here is can the Razorbacks continuing to build a collective to compete? The hope was this clearing-house idea was going to slow all this down, but the deal Texas Tech has guaranteed an offensive lineman shows it apparently isn't going anywhere.

Ojo, ranked No. 20 in the 2026 ESPN 300 and widely considered one of the best linemen in the nation, ESPN reported he signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $5.1 million revenue-share deal with the Red Raiders, according to his agent Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management.

With Ojo’s contract, a new weapon has entered the fray with direct, multimillion-dollar compensation for teenagers still years away from draft eligibility.

“Football is a brutal sport, and athletes are not able to play professionally until their graduating class has been in college three years,” Shelby told ESPN. “It was important to be able to secure Felix Ojo’s future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop into a first-round NFL draft pick.”

In the wake of a federal settlement in June, colleges are now able to pay athletes directly. What was once a shadowy world of name, image and likeness (NIL) collectives and third-party sponsors has moved into the open, with contracts that rival rookie NFL deals.

Texas Tech, eager to compete with college football’s blue bloods, has wasted no time leveraging this new system. Just last winter, the Red Raiders spent more than $10 million on 17 transfer players, building one of the nation’s most formidable recruiting classes.

Ojo turned down offers from Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas, all of which, according to recruiting sources, made substantial revenue-share pitches in the final stages of his recruitment.

The money is eye-opening, but so is how it’s structured. Ojo’s contract is fully guaranteed—an important detail in a sport where injuries can derail careers before they begin.

The deal rivals that of Jackson Cantwell, another elite offensive tackle who reportedly signed a contract worth more than $2 million per year with Miami. For top prospects, the market has shifted overnight.

Texas Tech is no stranger to high-stakes NIL maneuvers. Last year, the school’s NIL collective, the Matador Club, made headlines when it helped the softball program land transfer pitcher NiJaree Canady from Stanford with a one-year, $1,050,024 deal.

Canady, also represented by Shelby, parlayed that into another seven-figure contract after leading Tech to its first-ever Women’s College World Series appearance.

Ojo’s arrival is just the latest milestone in a busy summer for Texas Tech recruiting. The Red Raiders have assembled the nation’s second-ranked transfer class and have landed 18 commitments for 2026, including 13 from Texas.

The offensive line haul, with Ojo as its anchor, also features three-star guard Jerald Mays and tackle Jacob Crow.

The $5.1 million figure is already reverberating throughout college football. Rival coaches are adjusting their pitches, boosters are recalibrating their fundraising expectations, and athletes are rethinking what’s possible.

“This is a whole new era,” said Andrew Brandt, former NFL executive and sports business analyst. “We’re going to see more fully guaranteed deals for top recruits, and schools that can’t keep up are going to fall behind quickly.”

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