The nation’s No. 1 high school football recruit, five-star quarterback phenom Dante “DJ” Rawlins, stunned fans and analysts alike by committing to Texas Tech University over perennial powerhouses such as Tennessee, LSU, Arizona State, and Texas.
Rawlins, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound dual-threat quarterback from California’s top Sierra West High School, had long been expected to sign with one of college football’s traditional blue bloods. Tennessee and LSU led the forecasts for months, while Texas, with its NIL firepower and in-state affiliations, was expected to make a late surge. However, in a nationally televised presentation on Monday night, Rawlins unzipped his jacket to expose a crimson and black Texas Tech hoodie, sparking an outpouring of emotion across the sport.
“This wasn’t just a football decision—it was a life decision,” Rawlins stated on the broadcast. “Coach McGuire and the entire Red Raiders staff believed in me from the start.” They didn’t just recruit the athlete; I felt like they were genuinely interested in me as a person. I’d like to help develop something historic in Lubbock.”
Texas Tech’s Recruitment Coup
With this commitment, Texas Tech has secured the largest recruiting victory in program history. Rawlins becomes the highest-rated player ever to pledge to the Red Raiders, catapulting their 2026 recruiting class to the national top five. Texas Tech’s enthusiastic head coach, Joey McGuire, has been progressively altering the program’s identity, and this signing strengthens the Red Raiders’ status as a real national threat.
“We said we were going to do something different out here,” McGuire remarked in an interview following the announcement. “We believed it.” DJ believed it. And now the country will have to take attention.”
College football reacts
The college football world quickly responded. Recruiting gurus described it as one of the biggest surprises in contemporary recruiting history. ESPN’s lead analyst, Tom Luginbill, called it “a program-altering move that gives Texas Tech a real seat at the table with college football’s elite.” Fans all throughout the country, particularly from the rejected programs, went to social media to express shock, frustration, and—in some Texas Tech circles—jubilation.
“This is a game-changer,” one Red Raiders supporter wrote on X. “DJ is the kind of quarterback that makes you believe anything is possible.” What is next for Rawlins and the Red Raiders? Rawlins has previously expressed his plan to enroll early in January and compete for the starting position as a true freshman. Scouts have compared his arm talent to Caleb Williams, and his mobility to Lamar Jackson, so expectations will be high.
Texas Tech, long considered a Big 12 underdog, may have dramatically flipped its fortunes overnight. With DJ Rawlins at quarterback, the Red Raiders are no longer preparing for the future; they have arrived.
The rest of college football will be watching.