When Joey McGuire took over in Lubbock, he expanded his coaching staff to include a full-fledged player personnel department. To this day, it allows the director of personnel to give a scholarship without first consulting with the head coach. General manager James Blanchard has overseen the growth, development, and performance of the Red Raiders’ player personnel department. His reputation has grown rapidly in the industry, and it was only a matter of time before a blue-blood program sought his assistance. It would also not be the first time Notre Dame expressed interest in him. However, news came Friday that despite the national championship runner-up phoning, McGuire’s (and the administration’s) efforts, Blanchard rejected Notre Dame to stay in Lubbock for the 2025 season.
James Blanchard Turns Down Notre Dame, Staying At Texas Tech
Who Is James Blanchard?
Blanchard was the first person hired by McGuire as he started building his team in November 2022. He wielded extraordinary power over roster construction. Blanchard thrived under this immense responsibility. Since 2000, Texas Tech has only signed two top-30 high school classes up to 2022. Blanchard played a key role in landing the 28th and 24th nationally rated classes in ’23 and ’24, respectively, during two of his three complete recruiting cycles. Blanchard has had a significant role in bringing in one of the best transfer classes this season. This level of personnel production from Texas Tech is unprecedented. As a result, Blanchard has become the poster child for modern recruiting.
Blanchard Turns Down Notre Dame Continues To Be Evidence Of “Good Problems”
Marcus Freeman has made his own personnel changes in South Bend since Brian Kelly left for LSU. After all, Kelly made it clear that he couldn’t recruit well enough in that section of the country to compete for a national championship. Freeman has certainly been keeping an eye on Texas Tech’s General Manager for quite some time. McGuire had already replaced his offensive and defensive coordinators. He nailed both of those hires, according to all reports from the offseason. Of course, we won’t know until the season gets underway. However, McGuire appears to have cleared the first major obstacle in his coaching career at Texas Tech.
According to ESPN, Blanchard has signed a new three-year contract with Texas Tech. The new arrangement has a total value of $1.575 million. This places him among the highest-paid general managers in sports. In a statement, McGuire said:
“We’re thrilled James and his family have decided to stay with the Red Raiders and continue the work we began not long ago in developing a consistent program capable of competing for Big 12 championships. We’re much closer now than when we initially arrived, and I’m excited to continue working with James on expanding this group.”
As Blanchard declines Notre Dame, it is evident that Texas Tech has poured all of its resources into the 2025 season.
