It’s the winter workout portion of the college football schedule, so there’s usually not much to talk about in the win/loss column with the transfer portal closed.
However, as they did when the portal was open, Texas Tech has found a way to stay in the winner’s circle.
On Friday, ESPN’s Max Olson reported that Red Raiders general manager James Blanchard has decided to stay at Texas Tech after being offered the same position at Notre Dame.
This is massive news for the TTU football program, as Blanchard not only played a pivotal role in landing the nation’s top overall transfer portal class, but he’s viewed by many as one of the best at his job.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Texas Tech made Blanchard one of the highest-paid GMs in the country. Much of that had to do with his knack for evaluating talent, as Joey McGuire says, he’s the “best evaluator in college football.”
“The two things that stick out to me for James Blanchard — one is an eye for talent, how he evaluates, but [also] the way he connects and builds relationships at the same time,” McGuire said, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal back in 2022. “… I’ve seen a lot of evaluators and they have personalities of cardboard. I’ve seen guys that are not great evaluators but are phenomenal at creating relationships. That dude has it all.”
Notre Dame was in heavy pursuit of Blanchard’s services, but the Red Raiders made him an offer he couldn’t turn down—a three-year contract to stay in Lubbock through the 2027 season with a total value of $1.575 million over the three years, according to The Athletic.
“The success of our personnel department led by James Blanchard has obviously been noticed nationally with the significant interest he continues to generate annually,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said in a statement. “We’re excited James and his family have chosen to remain Red Raiders and continue the work we started not long ago in building a consistent program that can compete for Big 12 titles. We’re much closer today than when we first arrived, and I look forward to continuing to work with James on further building out this roster.”
Texas Tech will open up its 2025 season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, August 30.
