Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club to assist in NIL fundraising efforts for The Matador Club

The Texas Tech Athletic Department announced that its fundraising arm, known as the Red Raider Club, will promote and assist money-generating efforts for NIL collective The Matador Club.

“The Red Raider Club will also now promote and assist in the fundraising efforts for The Matador Club to provide the best name, image, and likeness opportunities available in the country,” the athletic department said in a news release. “The Matador Club, an NIL collective formed in 2022, has gained national recognition for supporting Texas Tech student-athletes through NIL agreements to promote and support local charities through social media, in-person appearances and community engagements.”

According to the release, The Red Raider Club and The Matador Club will remain two separate entities, with The Matador Club becoming a corporate sponsor and the official and exclusive NIL collective of Texas Tech Athletics. This partnership is critical to creating a streamlined fan and donor experiences while keeping Texas Tech at the forefront of the competitive new NIL space, the release said.

“Texas Tech Athletics intends to compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics while maximizing the potential of our student-athletes’ lives and careers when they graduate,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said in the release. “The overall modernization of the Red Raider Club, including the partnership with The Matador Club, positions us for success for generations to come. By growing and strengthening the Red Raider Club, we are supporting our student-athletes at the highest level ever imagined, while also providing our donors a more simplified way to give.

“We continue to be at the forefront of the changing athletics landscape, and we believe this is the right opportunity to positively impact the future of Texas Tech Athletics.”

Tech football coach Joey McGuire is encouraging support of both the Red Raider Club and The Matador Club.

“It’s a great time to be a Red Raider with the momentum we have built as an athletics department,” he said in the release. “It’s going to take all of us, though, so we need fans and donors to support both tremendously impactful organizations.”

Texas law allows links between schools, collectives

The news in Lubbock is another sign that Texas programs are quickly adapting because of the state’s newly signed NIL law.

Six days ago, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2804. The revised Texas legislation includes a number of provisions that are school and student-athlete friendly. But the most notable change appears to provide cover for state schools from being punished by the NCAA for any NIL-related violations, including any committed by collectives that have been set up to support student-athletes through deal facilitation.

Additionally, the legislation allows a college to establish agreements with a third-party entity to facilitate NIL activities on its behalf.

This part of the bill received a lot of attention after The 12th Man+ Fund launched at Texas A&M in February. The 12th Man+ Fund is a quasi-collective at A&M that operates under the umbrella of the 12th Man Foundation, the school’s fundraising arm. Donations to the 12th Man+ Fund provide boosters with priority points. As part of the quid pro quo in the NIL deal, student-athletes will promote the 12th Man Foundation. Sources tell On3 that Missouri and Oklahoma are pursuing similar collective models after recent changes in state laws.

Texas Tech’s restructuring appears different

It’s safe to assume the restructuring at Texas Tech is the result of the new Texas NIL law.

Interestingly, the release says, “Athletics department staff will now be able to provide education and fundraising support to The Matador Club and its’ members, Texas Tech will not coordinate any NIL activities for student-athletes, per state and NCAA guidelines.”

But it’s still another significant step forward thanks to the school-friendly state NIL law that’s greased the skids for collectives to become more tethered to a university’s fundraising arm and for Texas schools to have more control over how the pooled donor funds are distributed among athletes for NIL activities.

“As a former student-athlete and lifelong Red Raider, I am thrilled to see that Texas Tech Athletics continues to be on the forefront of progress, innovation, and creativity,” Cody Campbell, the founding director of The Matador Club, said. 

“This partnership will provide an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes and will ensure the long-term competitiveness of our programs. Our strength is rooted in the large numbers and tremendous passion of our alumni and fans. We look forward to more-deeply engaging with Red Raider Nation and encourage everyone to help however they can. This is a massive team effort, and each individual has a vital role to play.”

The Matador Club has been one of the most successful collectives in the Big 12, providing deals for football, baseball and softball players. It also generated national headlines when it agreed to $25,000 NIL deals with more than 100 football players. The collective also hosted a concert to help raise funds for student-athlete NIL deals.