Level 13 Agency Commits $25,000 NIL Deals to Texas Tech Women’s Basketball Players
By John Riker
Last Updated on August 9, 2022
Texas Tech football made national headlines in July when a team-wide NIL deal with the Matador Club collective guaranteed over 100 Red Raider players $25,000 in exchange for community service. Though the program launched within the football program, the collective announced its intentions to spread the NIL wealth across Texas Tech athletics with deals for multiple programs.
Sure enough, Texas Tech women’s basketball has finalized its own team-wide deal on July 28, this one with Level 13 Agency. The Lady Raider players will receive $25,000 from the Lubbock-based agency, which is not affiliated with the university and shares some of its leadership with the Matador Club. The deal is one of the first of its kind in women’s collegiate sports.
“It was a very emotional day to do something for this program,” Level 13 co-owner Kirk Noles said according to ESPN. “Nobody on the staff or the team had any idea what level we were going to. If you could have seen their faces, that makes it all worth it. I can’t stress enough how many people came out specifically in support of the Lady Raider program.”
Texas Tech women’s basketball has a storied history, emerging as a powerhouse team in the Southwest conference in the 1990s and winning the national championship in the 1992-93 season. The program hasn’t reached the same heights since and last played in March Madness in the 2012-13 season.
Level 13 and Texas Tech are hoping this deal can help the program take another step forward and support the Lady Raider athletes under the current NIL infrastructure.
“When I say Lubbock, West Texas & Texas Tech love their @LadyRaiderWBB, I speak the truth!” head coach Krista Gerlich said on Twitter. “Historic day for our program! I am so proud to be a Red Raider!”
