Texas Tech NIL collective to pay NiJaree Canady upwards of $1 million
Stanford transfer pitcher NiJaree Canady has committed to Texas Tech, she announced Wednesday on social media.
A source told On3 that as part of her commitment, she agreed to terms on an NIL deal with the third-party collective The Matador Club. A source close to the situation told On3 the deal is nearly $1.2 million. The Athletic first reported the details of Canady’s unprecedented NIL deal.
The reigning national softball player of the year, she entered the transfer portal on the final day of the window on June 17. Viewed as one of the top pitchers in the sport, Canady finished the 2024 season with a 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts over 230.2 total innings.
“I mean, in my honest opinion, she’s probably one of the top five best pitchers that I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve played the game a long time,” Danielle Lawrie, now an ESPN analyst and former two-time USA Softball Player of the Year, recently told On3. “I can’t say that I’ve seen kind of that type of power. And just the spin, it’s funny, right? Because you think about those types of pictures, like Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman, right?
“I put NiJaree up as one of those power pitchers like Monica, but her spin on her ball at that velocity is so rare.”
A native of Topeka, Kansas, NiJaree Canady was a two-time Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the Year. Her career collegiate line is 41-10 with a 0.66 ERA with 555 strikeouts and 65 walks. She threw 135 innings in 2023, earning Freshman of the Year honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Texas Tech hired Gerry Glasco as its new coach on June 20. Glasco arrived at Texas Tech following seven seasons as the head coach at the Louisiana where he built the Ragin’ Cajuns into a perennial top-25 program that boasted an impressive .773 winning percentage (300-88) during his tenure. The Red Raiders finished 29-21 in the 2024 season and 8-16 in the Big 12 Conference. Some had viewed Oklahoma as the school to watch to land Canady, in part due to the Sooners winning four consecutive national championships.