Maybe black gold means more than blue blood in the current landscape of college athletics. At least that is the case in West Texas where General Manager James Blanchard turned down an offer from Notre Dame to stay at Texas Tech to help Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders win a Big 12 championship.  

Reports last week suggested that Notre Dame was targeting Blanchard as its next GM after losing theirs to USC after the season. The Fighting Irish reached the national championship game of the College Football Playoff last season under Marcus Freeman. Blanchard, who was McGuire’s first hire at Texas Tech after working together at Baylor, has become one of the most well-respected personnel guys in the industry. 

Texas Tech is all-in heading into the 2025 season – the fourth for McGuire. The Red Raiders signed one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this offseason and bring back numerous starters on both sides of the football. They also hired a new offensive and defensive coordinator since the end of last season. With a wide-open Big 12, Tech feels like it can compete for a championship and a CFP berth this season.