What a wild year 2025 was for Texas Tech athletics. Relive the best and biggest stories of what was a loaded year for the Red Raiders.
The calendar year of 2025 will likely go down as the greatest 12-month period in the history of Texas Tech athletics. Football, softball, men's basketball, track and field and plenty more had historic moments on the field of play, and so much more happened away from the action that it's hard to keep track of it all.
Luckily, we've done all the work for you. Relive the best stories of 2025.
Top Texas Tech sports stories of 2025
Texas Tech football wins Big 12 Championship game
A lot of NIL money went to a number of transfer portal players; the question was could Joey McGuire put it all together and make it work? The answer was a resounding yes. Texas Tech went 11-1 in the regular season, only losing at Arizona State without Behren Morton. Every other game was a blowout victory, leading the Red Raiders to the Big 12 Conference championship game in a rematch with BYU. Once again, it was Texas Tech dominance, winning 34-7 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington and emerging from the pack for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
NiJaree Canady muscles Texas Tech softball to Big 12 title, Women's College World Series
NiJaree Canady's arrival to the Texas Tech softball team was perhaps the biggest move in transfer portal history. Don't believe me? Canady fought through a torn hamstring much of the year to be the best pitcher in the nation, led the team in home runs much of the season in guiding Texas Tech to Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, hosting a regional, won the Super Regional at Florida State, made it to the Women's College World Series and came one game away form winning the national title.
Darrion Williams boosts Texas Tech basketball to Sweet 16 comeback, Elite Eight
Texas Tech trailed Arkansas by 16 points midway through the second half of their Sweet 16 game and all hope seemed lost. But the Red Raiders fought back, getting a game-tying 3-pointer from Darrion Williams to send the game to overtime. Williams also had the game-winning bucket in the extra session to send Tech to the program's third Elite Eight in program history.
ESPN's College GameDay visits Lubbock
It took 17 years to happen, but ESPN finally brought College GameDay back to Lubbock for the Red Raiders' showdown with BYU. Fans set up camp outside the stadium a week before the game, Patrick Mahomes returned to be the guest picker and Texas Tech manhandled the Cougars 29-7.
Texas Tech Athletics throws it back for new logo
Diehard Texas Tech fans have been wanting to level the bevel for years. Now they have their wish. Texas Tech introduced the new throwback logo design this fall that will be fully introduced during the 2026-27 academic year. The court in United Supermarkets Arena already has the logo on full display.
Taking of the tortillas
What started as a vote by Big 12 ADs to actually penalize Texas Tech fans for throwing tortillas eventually led to Kirby Hocutt and the athletic department to outlaw the practice entirely. Many feelings were had, harsh words said, but Red Raider fans followed the ban well and adhered to the new standard quickly.
Transfer portal palooza
The football team's moves in the transfer portal mostly came in 2024, but one of the biggest — adding David Bailey from Stanford — happened in April, and it was the final piece to Texas Tech's CFP team. But they aren't the only ones that hit the portal hard.
After falling one game short of the national title, the Texas Tech softball team quickly reloaded from the portal, adding 2025 All-Americans Jazzy Burns from Ohio State, Taylor Pannell from Tennessee and Mia Williams from Florida. The Red Raiders also added two-way standout Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA to bolster the roster for 2026.
Texas Tech officially unveils new Womble Football Center
Talk about something getting lost in the shuffle. Texas Tech slowly moved into the new Womble Football Center late in 2024 but if was officially opened for business in late February. The media got a chance to check out the state-of-the-art facility that features a walkthrough room, napping pods and a barber shop.
Under-the-radar stories
A lot can happen in a year, and so much has happened in the Texas Tech athletics sphere in the last 12 months that many of these stories can be forgotten about, or seem minor in the grand scheme. Here's a quick rundown of some of the top sports moments that you may have missed.
- James Blanchard turns down Notre Dame — Texas Tech's success in the transfer portal has made team general manager James Blanchard a hot name to fill spots at other high-profile spots. This includes Notre Dame, which was almost able to get Blanchard away from the Red Raiders. Blanchard ultimately decided to return.
- NiJaree Canady homers off Nebraska ace Jordy Bahl — Canady joined Texas Tech looking to prove she can be as good a hitter as she is a pitcher. The first evidence of that came in the season-opening tournament when Canady powered a three-run home run off Nebraska ace Jordy Bahl to help the Red Raiders mount the comeback win.
- Samantha Lincoln throws a perfect game — Texas Tech freshman pitcher Samantha Lincoln threw a perfect game in her second-career collegiate start. It was the first seven-inning perfect game for the Red Raiders since 2001, and just the third in program history.
- Brady Trombello makes his return — Texas Tech baseball player Brady Trombello made his return to the field 13 months after being hit in the head by a batted ball during practice four days after he made his collegiate debut for the Red Raiders.
- Macy Blackburn repeats as Big 12 defender of the year — Macy Blackburn could have gone pro after last season but returned for one final run with the Tech soccer team. She wound up repeating as the Big 12 defender of the year, earning All-American status for the third year in a row and holds career and single-season records for assists.
- Men's and women's track and field teams sweep Big 12 indoor titles — Malachi Snow as the co-points leader as he helped the Texas Tech men earn a third-straight Big 12 title in the conference's indoor meet. The women also earned the conference title to provide the program sweep.
- Yes, there was a pocketknife — And it didn't come from the Texas Tech crowd.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Relive the biggest Texas Tech sports stories from a historic 2025
Category: General Sports
