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The Matador Club, an NIL collective supporting Texas Tech athletics, is extending a team-wide offer to members of the Red Raider softball program.
Announced on Wednesday evening, the deal is said to offer “five-figure” contracts to every member of the program’s active roster. Tech softball players will reportedly participate in community service projects and appearances at events for the Matador Club as part of the name, image, and likeness contract.
The deal is at least the third known team-wide NIL agreement for a softball program and the first known to originate from a “collective”; following the passing of new name, image, and likeness legislation by the NCAA, such collectives have sprung up across the country as donor-backed, crowdfunded sources funding NIL agreements of various shapes and sizes.
Earlier in September, Red Raider alumni John & Tracy Sellers announced a $1 million donation to the Texas Tech softball program, and the couple are also part of Wednesday’s announced initiative. John Sellers is one of six listed members of the Matador Club’s board; Tracy Sellers was a Red Raider softball player in the early 2000s.
Texas Tech enters the 2023 season in their first year under head coach Craig Snider. The squad finished the 2022 season with a 22-27 record, including a 5-13 record in Big 12 conference play.