Texas Tech’s offseason has already played like a documentary, and now it’s actually getting one.
Paramount+ announced Monday that it has greenlit a docuseries on the Red Raiders, with production starting in January and four episodes set to air before the 2026 season. The project is being produced by Skydance Sports and directed by Micah Brown, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s Connor Stalions documentary.
The series is being billed as offering “unprecedented” access, and Greg Groggel of Skydance Sports said the program has had a rare view of a chaotic stretch in Lubbock.
“This has proven to be a landscape-altering offseason and we’ve been lucky to have a front-row seat,” Groggel said in the release. “This series will present fans and viewers with an unprecedented window into everything that is defining college football today.”
Texas Tech has given them plenty to work with. The Red Raiders are coming off their first Big 12 championship, while also landing their highest-rated recruiting class ever and a top-five transfer portal class as billionaire booster Cody Campbell continues to reshape the program.
But no part of the offseason drew more attention than the Brendan Sorsby saga.
Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati to Texas Tech in January and received a lucrative NIL deal. In April, he announced that he was entering treatment for a gambling addiction. The situation escalated quickly from there: Sorsby wagered more than $90,000, his gambling was flagged by law enforcement, and he placed bets on Indiana’s football program while he was on the team in 2022.
The NCAA ruled Sorsby ineligible for the season, but he challenged that decision in court and was granted a temporary injunction that would have allowed him to play this season. Texas Tech backed its new quarterback through the backlash, even as the public relations fallout grew louder.
Sorsby later dropped his fight with the NCAA over his eligibility and said on June 15 that he planned to enter the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. Then last week, the NFL said it would not hold a supplemental draft and criticized Sorsby’s actions in the process.
How much of that story makes it into the docuseries, and who controls the final cut, is still unclear.
What is clear is that Texas Tech has become one of the sport’s most visible programs. Campbell, who also chairs the university’s board of regents, has poured more into the team and pushed for congressional action around college sports rules. The Red Raiders reached the College Football Playoff for the first time last season and have become a major voice in conversations about player compensation, scheduling and the transfer portal.
The program’s profile has also invited some pointed shots from elsewhere in the state. At an offseason event, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said, “There’s a team in our state in another conference with a schedule that I would argue, if I played with our twos and threes, we could go undefeated, and they’ll probably make the CFP this year.”
Later, Joey McGuire responded by proposing Texas play Texas Tech in the season opener.
And beyond the documentary and the headlines, there’s still a football issue hanging over the Red Raiders: quarterback. Will Hammond is Texas Tech’s best player at the position and will probably take over as the starter at some point, but he is still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered last October. His rehab and return will be one of the most important developments for the program moving forward.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Just Pulled Off A Sneaky 2026 Recruiting Win
Amari Barretts path to Texas Tech took an unexpected turn, but the Red Raiders have a new addition for their 2026 recruiting class. The Oklahoma City Millwood guard, a key player on a state championship team, gives Texas Tech another perimeter piece to go with its other high school signees and NCAA transfer portal additions.
Barretts commitment also adds a layer of intrigue because he had already been linked to another program before landing in Lubbock. For a Texas Tech roster that is still taking shape, it is the kind of late recruiting swing that can matter down the road, especially with a productive guard coming out of a championship program and joining a class built to blend youth with portal experience. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Trick Carries Big Expectations For Texas Tech Pass Rush
Texas Tech is counting on a new wave of defensive line help to keep its pass rush among the Big 12s most disruptive units in 2026, and Adam Trick is at the center of that conversation. The senior end from Dayton, Ohio, arrives from Miami (OH) with a track record that suggests he can step into a major role right away after finishing with 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.
The Red Raiders also brought in several other front-line additions as they try to replace what left with graduation and the NFL after last seasons standout group up front. Tricks fit will matter because Texas Tech does not just need bodies on the edge, it needs proven production, and his arrival gives the staff a proven pass rusher to lean on while the rest of the rotation settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Earned Rare Defensive Respect Across The Big 12
CBS latest look at returning defensive production offers an interesting snapshot of the Big 12 heading into 2026, and Texas Tech comes out with a rare bit of leaguewide respect. The Red Raiders sit at the top of the conference in the ranking, a sign that their defensive foundation is in better shape than plenty of their peers as the offseason takes shape. Oklahoma State, Kansas and UCF also crack the Big 12s top tier, giving the league a clear cluster of teams that should enter next year with more experience on that side of the ball.
The other end of the list tells a different story, with several familiar names spread well down the order and some programs navigating coaching changes or broader staff turnover. Baylor, Arizona, Cincinnati and Colorado land in the middle range, while teams such as TCU, West Virginia, Utah, Iowa State and Kansas State are much lower than usual for schools with that kind of recent pedigree. For Texas Tech, the ranking is only one piece of the puzzle, but it does suggest the Red Raiders are positioned to start 2026 with a defensive edge the conference will have to notice. [Read more 🡒]