Deion Sanders Applauds Joey McGuire's Portal Success and Big Spending at Texas Tech

Deion Sanders credits Texas Tech's Joey McGuire for his willingness to break the rules in college football. Sanders praised McGuire's offseason at the Big 12 Media Days on July 9. He talked about the Red Raiders' No. 2-ranked NCAA transfer portal class and the seven-figure NIL deal he supposedly got for five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. 

The teams that Sanders led at Colorado (ranked No. 19 overall by 247Sports) brought in 33 portal players, while Texas Tech brought in 22 (many of them highly placed).

Sanders smiled and said, "Yeah, Joey got some money." "Heavy spending!" "I love it." Sanders got laughs and applause when he talked about the negative feedback he got from the media early in his time as governor of Colorado about the portal-heavy approach he used there. "Once upon a time, you guys were making up stories about me going through that portal," he said. "Now that everyone is going through the portal, everything is fine." It is cool when they do it. It is not right when I do it.

People have been critical of both schools for using Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals to get more recruits, but Sanders' comments were positive and not negative. He called McGuire "a He is described as a "man of honor" and recognized as "one of the best coaches in this conference." Sanders' son played for McGuire at Cedar Hill High School in Texas, so he knew the man well.

As NIL and the transfer portal speed up changes in college football, Sanders and McGuire are at the forefront, changing their schools and possibly the sport itself. 

The coaches' mutual praise shows that more of them are ready to accept the new age.

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