Texas Tech has packed a lot into one month, with football, volleyball, baseball and basketball all making headlines while the university also continues to reshape pieces of its game-day identity.
The biggest visual reveal came from football, which announced the “Let’s Ride” alternate uniform in partnership with Adidas and Patrick Mahomes. The look is all black and is meant to honor the Masked Rider tradition while featuring Mahomes’ Gladiator emblem in a prominent spot. Texas Tech plans to debut the uniform on Sept. 18 against Houston.
The Red Raiders also have a new piece of stadium branding tied to the program’s history. Texas Tech formally named the student section of Galaxy Stadium “The Jones Student Section” in recognition of Dr.
Clifford B. Jones and his wife, Audrey.
The stadium was originally dedicated in 1947 as Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium after a $100,000 lead contribution from the couple helped lay the foundation for Texas Tech football. Dr.
Jones was part of the university’s inaugural board of directors in 1923 and later served as the school’s third president from 1939 to 1944. After the university’s 15-year naming rights deal with Galaxy, Texas Tech wanted to keep the Jones name central to the home atmosphere.
On the field, there’s also been a wave of optimism around the football team’s outlook. Texas Tech has added aggressive transfer portal acquisitions to what is being described as one of the Big 12’s most talented rosters.
The Red Raiders are viewed as having top-end talent across major position groups, along with the size and depth to handle a long season. Their non-conference schedule is considered favorable, with early games against FCS and Group of 5 opponents such as Abilene Christian and Sam Houston, plus a rebuilding Oregon State program.
The conference slate also avoids some of the league’s toughest road environments, with home dates against Houston, Arizona State, Arizona and TCU, and road trips to Baylor, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati and Colorado. Even so, the idea of a 12-0 run is still framed as a 30% to 35% possibility rather than a sure thing.
Texas Tech basketball is getting a spotlight game of its own. The men’s team has officially announced a preseason exhibition at Kentucky on Oct. 23, with the Red Raiders traveling to Rupp Arena in Lexington.
Around the program, the extra fifth year for college basketball players has fueled even more buzz, with Texas Tech’s roster - boosted by portal additions and the return of JT Toppin from injury - drawing top-five attention for the 2026-27 season. The group includes Cruz Davis, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Donovan Atwell, Darrion Williams, JT Toppin, Jamichael Stillwell, Josiah Moseley, Dakari Spear, Damarion Dennis, Marial Akuentok and Grant McCasland’s full collection of talent.
Baseball is in the mix too. Texas Tech has released its 2027 schedule, which features non-conference games at Rip Griffin Park along with a full Big 12 slate.
And volleyball will give fans an early look at the team with its annual Red & Black Scrimmage at 6:00 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.
In Other News...
Former BC Quarterback Suddenly Has One More Twist In His Career
Thomas Castellanos has suddenly been handed a path to one more college football season, a development that could matter in Lubbock as Texas Tech continues shaping its quarterback room. A judge granted an injunction allowing him to enter the transfer portal and play a fifth season, a ruling tied to a lawsuit challenging NCAA eligibility rules that has opened the door for athletes from the high school class of 2022 to return for another year.
For Texas Tech, the timing makes Castellanos a name worth tracking as the offseason unfolds. He is expected to transfer to the Red Raiders, but the larger picture is still in motion because the NCAA has appealed the decision, leaving the eligibility question unresolved even as the portal window offers a fresh possibility. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs Mahomes Uniform Push Is Raising A Bigger Identity Debate
Texas Techs recurring uniform partnership with Patrick Mahomes and Adidas has become more than a one-off promotional idea. Over the past three seasons, the school has used the collaboration to roll out alternate football jerseys, tying one of its biggest athletic alumni to a look that now feels like part of the Red Raiders broader brand. The 2024 edition, dubbed the Lets Ride jersey, is a solid-black design with Mahomes signature wordmark on the helmet, and it is set to make its debut on Sept. 18 at home against Houston.
The release also underscores a bigger question about where the line sits between tradition and modern marketing in college football. For Texas Tech, the Mahomes connection has been a reliable way to generate buzz and keep the program in the spotlight, but the fact that it keeps returning as a centerpiece of the uniform conversation says plenty about how the Red Raiders are choosing to present themselves. As the latest alternate gets its first run, the real issue is not whether it will draw attention. It is how much of Texas Techs identity is now being shaped by this annual crossover. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Got A Troubling Twist In Donovan Atwell's Case
A legal wrinkle out of the Tenth Circuit has put another layer of uncertainty around Donovan Atwells future, after the court granted a stay in the Colorado lawsuit that had opened the door for certain college basketball players to gain an extra year of eligibility. For Texas Tech, it adds to a situation that already sat in a gray area, with the Red Raiders waiting to see how the broader eligibility fight plays out.
Atwell has not filed an individual lawsuit, and for now he remains ineligible for the 2026-27 season while the legal process continues. There is still a path for him to pursue individual eligibility, but for Texas Tech and Atwell alike, the important part is what comes next, and that part is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]