Felix Ojo was supposed to be bound for a blueblood. When the Mansfield, Texas, OT, a five-star and top-rated lineman in the 2026 class, committed to Texas Tech, it sent a jolt through recruiting circles. Not UGA. Not OSU. Not Alabama. Texas Tech Red Raiders. Ojo didn’t just become the biggest commitment in Tech’s history—he became the centerpiece of the largest revenue share deal in college. A three-year, $5.1 million NIL package backed by The Matador Club and booster Cody Campbell. Programs with deeper roots, flashier trophies, and national pipelines came knocking. But Ojo didn’t blink. Because Tech gave him something the bluebloods wouldn’t.
Let’s unpack the “why” from the minds who follow the money and the tape. Dan Wetzel laid the context on College GameDay: “Alabama and Ohio State that used to get all those five stars may not say, ‘Look, I can’t. I got to sign 20 really good players.’ We’re trying to win it all. And that’s the way to win. You’d rather have 24 stars than one five-star and a bunch of three stars, right?” That works for the big boys. But at Texas Tech, it’s about flipping that model. “Those days are over,” Wetzel continued. “Because each guy’s getting—it’s not that Texas Tech will one day beat Alabama, but it weakens Alabama a little bit when they aren’t just all loading up with these top guys.” In other words, Felix Ojo didn’t just make Texas Tech stronger—he might’ve made the giants sweat a little.
But this wasn’t only about the dollars. It was about the depth chart. Pete Thamel helped decode that. “Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama—fill in the blank blueblood, right? They are not going to start a freshman at left tackle. How many starting freshman left tackles—that’s a once every five-year kind of thing,” Thamel said. “Felix Ojo is good. He is not Orlando Pace.” That wasn’t a slight—it was a reminder that development often happens on the sidelines at the top schools. “You get better at football by playing football,” Thamel added. “So is it smart of Felix Ojo to go to a place where maybe he can see the field right away?” It’s simple: playing time equals development, development equals draft stock. Felix Ojo saw the field as a runway, not a redshirt.
And what a field it is. Texas Tech is no longer the quiet recruiter in the corner. The Red Raiders are 18 commits deep in the 2026 cycle, and Ojo is their first ESPN 300 addition. It’s also a reflection of how NIL collectives are functioning like NFL front offices. With the House settlement capping roster funding at $20.5 million, programs have to be strategic. Tech chose to go all-in on a premium tackle—an investment in protection and pipeline. Meanwhile, programs like Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Ohio State—though still dominant—couldn’t match that blend of money, opportunity, and urgency.
It’s the reshaping of the recruiting map. Thamel posed the bigger question: “Do you start at a tick lower level? It’s still a very good program, but look, there’s going to be real grown men at those bluebloods… that’s how you go win.” For Tech, the path isn’t to be Bama. The path is to be the best version of Texas Tech, stacked with high-end players who’d rather start today than wait until 2027. If you’re Felix Ojo, and you’re staring down the barrel of millions, early snaps, and a scheme built around letting you maul people, you take it. Plus, the deal was built on “security” per his agent. What’s that security?
Felix Ojo’s $5.1M deal is security over sizzle
Felix Ojo’s record-setting deal at Texas Tech wasn’t just about NIL glitz—it was about long-term protection. His agent, Derrick Shelby, made that much clear. “It was important to secure Felix’s future and give him and his family some security as he continues to develop,” Shelby told Front Office Sports. That word—security—has quickly become the cornerstone of this entire move.
Ojo’s commitment has already reshaped the family’s day-to-day planning. Though the Ojos still live in Mansfield, a four-hour haul from Lubbock, the new income stream is opening doors. The family is exploring buying or renting a home near campus, and Texas Tech officials are already helping scout neighborhoods and prep academic transfers for Felix’s younger brother, who’s entering high school. That’s the ripple effect of NIL—comfort, continuity, and a full-on family relocation plan baked into a recruiting win.
Shelby also brought the hard numbers into focus. “When you have $20.5 million that you can spend, football is probably going to average $16 million, and there is 105 players,” he said. “So, you really have to have a good GM and a good staff to really be able to manage that money.” That’s where GM James Blanchard comes in. Working alongside coach Joey McGuire, Blanchard has left fingerprints all over the program’s current recruiting heater.
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