Wetzel: All of college football ought to cheer for Texas Tech
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Dan Wetzel
Last week, just days after college athletic programs were able to directly share revenue with their athletes, Felix Ojo, a five-star offensive lineman from Mansfield, Texas, announced his college decision. He held offers from Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia and just about everyone else.
He chose Texas Tech.
One of the reasons was a rich revenue-share deal with the Red Raiders that a Texas Tech source said is worth at least $2.3 million over three years but that Ojo’s agent says will guarantee him at least $5.1 million.
It was a cannon shot across the world of college football recruiting.
Guys like Ojo, who is 6-foot-7, 285 pounds and can move, tend to sign with select programs. Texas Tech hasn’t traditionally been one of them, although with money now on the table to offset some built-in hurdles (Lubbock’s remote West Texas location and lack of a national title tradition), the Red Raiders are apparently here to play.
This is a good thing.
Not just for Tech fans, but for fans of so many teams like them, not to mention college football as a whole, which welcomes the recent trend of a leveling playing field to continue.
The best part, at least thus far, is that the Red Raiders aren’t alone as an upstart program attracting top-tier talent out of the Class of 2026.
Zion Elee, an edge rusher from Baltimore who is the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, is staying home at Maryland.
Keisean Henderson, a QB from Spring, Texas, and No. 3 nationally, is committed to Houston.
Calvin Russell, a wideout from Miami, who is ranked No. 21, is pledged to Syracuse.
There is also Ryder Lyons, a QB ranked 13th nationally, who is headed to BYU, although his Mormon faith was likely a significant factor.
It is a continuation of the unregulated NIL era that saw talent begin to disseminate, at least a little, away from the same handful of teams that dominated the sport. Alabama once signed the No. 1 class in 10 of 13 seasons.
“We definitely saw [talent dispersion] improve since 2021. It spread out,” said Andy Schwarz, an economist with a specialty in college athletics and a partner at OSKR. “I don’t think we will see a big change from that world to this world. In the short term, we will see athletes attracted to the Texas Techs more. I think we will see an improvement in the spread of this year’s recruiting class.”
There are caveats, of course. Recruiting is an inexact science. Rosters are increasingly built via the transfer portal. Oh, and the Alabamas and Ohio States will still get the majority of the best players.
Schwarz doesn’t want to oversell this. The principles of economics suggest the impact will be limited and traditional schools will learn to properly allocate their money. In terms of actually winning games, after all, it is better to spend on lots of good players than just one or two great ones.
However, in the past, almost all the great ones all went to the same teams as well. Now, under the House settlement, schools can allocate up to $20.5 million to their athletes in any manner they see fit. (They could technically give it all to one player.)
That allows coaches to prioritize a specific recruit and outbid the competition. Money is rarely the only factor in recruiting, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
In the past, schools spent a passive dollar on things such as facilities, staff and other bells and whistles. Now it’s an active dollar — directly into the pocket of the player. It makes a waterfall in the locker room, or an old Heisman Trophy in a display case, matter less.
“It makes sense for an up-and-comer to try to make a splash,” Schwarz said. “It’s a chance for now, at least temporarily, for the have-nots to gain on the haves.”
Any improvement is an improvement. It may not allow 50 schools to have a shot at winning the championship, but it might mean 10 in a given year.
It doesn’t even mean Texas Tech is one of those 10. Each elite player that goes to Lubbock, however, or somewhere other than Alabama and Georgia, is one less player stocking those rosters.
Consider that from 2018 to 2025, the Tide and Dawgs basically priced themselves out of recruiting three-star players. Bama signed an average of just 2.9 a year. UGA was at 3.5. This year, Georgia already has seven three-stars committed, and Alabama six. They will still likely rank among the top five classes nationally overall, but the gap is smaller as they dip deeper into the high school rankings.
The NCAA spent millions in legal fees fighting this, shouting about the ruination of the game by claiming “competitive balance” would be destroyed. What is playing out is something quite different, if not completely opposite of the predictions.
Texas Tech just landed a five-star offensive lineman. You don’t have to be a Red Raiders fan to cheer for that.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox great Paul Konerko got a present from one No. 14 to another in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship run: a jersey signed by noted Chicago fan Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, presented Konerko a jersey with the new pontiff’s signature on the back during a ceremony prior to the game against the Cleveland Guardians. It had the six-time All-Star’s last name and “Pope Leo” above the No. 14.
Robert Prevost became the first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church when he was elected on May 8. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, is a White Sox fan.
Prevost attended the 2005 World Series opener against Houston in Chicago. He watched from Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2 as the White Sox beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and their first title since 1917.
In May, the team unveiled a graphic installation near the seat paying tribute to Pope Leo and that moment. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie.
Members of the 2005 team are in Chicago this weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the championship run. The White Sox debuted uniform patches honoring late closer Bobby Jenks, who died last week in Portugal, where he was being treated for stomach cancer. On Friday, the team unveiled a statue of former ace Mark Buehrle.
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