Texas Tech GM James Blanchard signs new contract

Texas Tech general manager James Blanchard signed a new contract with the institution, a source inside the program told On3 on Monday morning.

The news was first reported by CBS Sports. A member of Joey McGuire’s staff in Lubbock for two years now, Blanchard was previously with the Carolina Panthers and Baylor.

Blanchard has reshaped the Texas Tech personnel department and how the Red Raiders recruit. Similar to an NFL front office, Blanchard and his staff identify every prospect every recruit the program offers, allowing McGuire’s staff to focus on player development and scouting.

Texas Tech finished the 2024 cycle with the No. 1 class in the Big 12, headlined by Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Micah Hudson, the first five-star commit in program history.

In the 2025 cycle, the Red Raiders have 17 commits and rank No. 4 in the Big 12, according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking Team Recruiting Rankings. The Red Raiders have three verbal commitments from four-star prospects, headlined by quarterback Lloyd Jones. On3 ranks Jone as the cycle’s No. 13 quarterback recruit.

In his first year at Texas Tech, James Blanchard was making $185,000. He signed a new two-year contract in December 2022, which was set to pay him $220,000 annually.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported in 2022 that Nebraska tried land Blanchard, who was previously on Matt Rhule’s staff at Baylor and Carolina.

“He loves it here and he wanted to be here,” McGuire said of Blanchard. “I definitely wanted to make sure we had him locked in. It was a lot easier to say ‘no’ [to other schools]. Some of the texts that I read [from other programs to Blanchard], they were throwing all kinds of money at him left and right and, ‘Hey, let’s let you pick whatever your title is’ and all that. His title is a Red Raider, and so he’s fired up about being here.”