On Thursday night, Texas Tech notched its first-ever Women’s College World Series game win with a 4–3 win over Texas to force a decisive Game 3.
The Red Raiders are on a historic run that could end in their first-ever championship. They found a winning formula this year with a new coach in Gerry Glasco who recruited a No. 1 transfer class with the help of oil billionaire John Sellers and his wife, Tracy, who played softball at Texas Tech.
“In this new world that we’re living in, it’s [about] talent acquisition,” Hocutt told Front Office Sports earlier this week.
Glasco was hired last June at a modest salary of $250,000, less than half of what his counterpart at Texas makes. But he recruited nine of the ten transfers—including star pitcher NiJaree Canady, who received a $1 million NIL (name, image, and likeness) contract in her first year in Lubbock.
Canady has led the program to its first Big 12 regular season title and Big 12 Tournament title, as well as its first WCWS appearance, while notching several program records of her own: the best regular-season ERA of 0.89, the second-most single-season wins with 30, and more.
Going into the postseason, the Red Raiders were the 12th seed despite their stacked roster, and had to dethrone the Oklahoma Sooners dynasty in order to make it to the championship.
Wednesday night, Canady made what many called the worst mistake of her career: throwing a would-be ball four during an attempted intentional walk that Texas’s Reese Atwood hit to drive in two runs that ended up being decisive. Canady allowed three runs Thursday night, but held on to get the Red Raiders out of a late seventh inning jam.
Canady isn’t the only player making good money on her team. While athletic director Kirby Hocutt did not provide an overall figure on NIL spending, he did say that it was “no secret” that the Sellers family had invested heavily in the program.
The Red Raiders’ NIL collective, The Matador Club, posted $6 million in payouts across the athletic department in its most recent tax returns for the 2022–23 school year. It’s safe to assume that, particularly given Canady herself earned $1 million, that players on the softball program and beyond have earned more this past year. Patrick Mahomes, who signed Canady to an NIL deal and sent merch to the team before the game, was at Devon Park with his wife, repeatedly appearing on ESPN cameras.
As the Red Raiders are set to face off against the Longhorns on Friday night in Oklahoma City, Hocutt is enjoying the moment—but also eying the future. It’s unclear whether that winning formula of NIL recruiting will be possible if the House v. NCAA settlement is approved. The settlement, which would take effect for the 2025-26 academic year, would allow revenue-sharing—but only up to a cap starting at $20.5 million per school. The expectation is that most money will go to football and men’s basketball. And it’s unclear whether NIL collective dollars could make up the difference for other sports, as the settlement would also impose new restrictions on NIL dollars.
For now, though, Hocutt says the Matador Club is operating normally. Canady has reportedly agreed to another seven-figure contract to stay in Lubbock next year.
