Texas Tech Continues To Dominate The Portal, Notre Dame Inks GM, & Beaver Stadium Lands Naming Rights Deal
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Dudes Of The Week 😤
Cody Campbell
The Matador Club, Texas Tech NIL
The Red Raiders are quickly becoming a force in the transfer portal, largely thanks to billionaire booster Cody Campbell.
Campbell, a former Texas Tech player, recently received a $4.08 billion payday after selling his venture, Double Eagle, an independent oil and natural gas company.
With his financial backing, head coach Joey McGuire holds claim to the third-best transfer portal class nationally ranked behind only LSU and Ole Miss.
Texas Tech currently has 11 four-star prospects committed to its new look roster from programs among the likes of Georgia Tech, North Carolina, USC, and UCF.
After an eight-win campaign last season, the Red Raiders could enter 2025 as a popular pick to win the Big 12.
Marcus Freeman
Head Coach, Notre Dame
Although Notre Dame’s national championship comeback attempt ultimately fell short, head coach Marcus Freeman is doing everything in his power to propel his program back into the national spotlight.
During the offseason, Freeman hired proven defensive mastermind Chris Ash to take over as defensive coordinator, poached Ja’Juan Seider away from Penn State to lead his running back room, and most recently, added a staffer to fulfill an opening at general manager.
Last week, the Fighting Irish added Mike Martin of the Detroit Lions as the squad’s new general manager. With Detroit, Martin served as the director of scouting advancement over the last four years.
“I believed in the NFL, throughout my career, that you build through the draft, and you sort of supplement the roster in free agency,” Martin said last week. “I mean, I’m sure you all heard that before. It’ll be very similar here.”
Kaliq Lockett
Wide Receiver, Texas
With Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden leaving the Longhorns for the NFL Draft, 247Sports recently identified Kaliq Lockett as a potential plug-and-play star for head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense.
Lockett is entering Texas’ program as one of four five-star signees from Sarkisian’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class.
“He has a potential lane to a starting job as a true freshman,” Carter Bahns of 247Sports wrote. “The in-state prospect holds eventual day-one NFL Draft potential.”
The preseason praise certainly sets a high bar, but Lockett lived up to his blue-chip label in high school.
Through four seasons at Sachse High School, Lockett hauled in 147 receptions for 2,666 yards and 28 touchdowns as his team’s primary weapon on the outside.
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Mood Tracker Across Fanbases 🤯
LSU 📈
Rejuvenated
Despite eventually missing out on the recruiting sweepstakes for five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan, the Tigers have more than made up for the miss throughout the offseason transfer portal window.
The Tigers currently have the No. 1 overall portal class, highlighted by 16 commitments with an average prospect rating of 90.47 according to 247Sports’ evaluation metric.
Half of head coach Brian Kelly’s portal grabs rank as top 100 prospects.
Of those commitments, wide receivers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown give quarterback Garrett Nussmeier all the tools to generate a Heisman-caliber season in 2025.
USC 📈
Encouraged
While it’s still early to grade 2026 recruiting hauls, Lincoln Riley’s Trojans are off to a hot start, reinvigorating momentum into the program’s future.
USC currently has 12 commitments and the No. 1 overall class ahead of Clemson and Oregon, which round out the top three.
Riley and Co. have channeled a different recruiting strategy as of late, aiming to keep California’s best talent home as their top priority.
Three of the Trojans’ four-highest rated commitments hail from California, led by four-star cornerback RJ Sermons from Rancho Cucamonga.
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Who Made Money This Week? 💰
Penn State
Beaver Stadium | Naming Rights & Revitalization Effort
One of college football’s most historic venues will go by a new name starting this fall.
Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved a stadium naming-rights deal yesterday morning, officially making Beaver Stadium “West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.”
The lucrative deal is worth $50 million over 15 years from 2025 through 2039, giving Penn State’s athletic department a needed boost to fund its ongoing stadium renovation worth over $700 million.
While the deal averages $3.3 million annually, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said the deal is front-loaded to “reduce the borrowing required” to complete Beaver Stadium’s renovation process to design specifications.
West Shore Home, a national leader in home remodeling, is now responsible for the largest corporate naming-donation to any collegiate athletic facility nationwide.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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