Given how much money the Texas Tech football program has spent in the transfer portal this offseason, it is only fitting that one of the new Red Raiders is named "Cash". Thursday, during his visit to Lubbock to check out what head coach Joey McGuire and his program have to offer, Colorado starting center Cash Cleveland announced his commitment to Texas Tech via the transfer portal.
He becomes the 19th transfer to join the Red Raiders' unprecedented portal haul, one that is tops in America according to 247Sports.com. Cleveland shared that decision by posting to social media a graphic featuring himself in a Texas Tech uniform with cash flying all around. There could be nothing more fitting to symbolize the current state of college football.
Cleveland wasn't always a big-ticket item in the world of college football, though. In fact, coming out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, last year, the Rockwall, Texas, native was an unranked recruit.
What's more, he had interest from only two programs, Colorado and Georgia Tech. Ultimately, he took a walk-on role with the Buffaloes and their head coach, Deion Sanders.
Excited to be a Red Raider! 🌵 pic.twitter.com/iXfwjB4Jsk
— Cash Cleveland (@cleveland_cash) April 24, 2025
What works against Cleveland is his size. He is only 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, which is on the light side for a Big 12 offensive lineman.
However, that didn't stop him from earning an important role for Colorado in 2024. He didn't make his college debut until the sixth game of 2024, but after that, he appeared in six games while making the start at center in the final four.
In those six appearances, he played well enough to earn freshman All-American honors from three different college football sites or publications. However, he apparently didn't do enough to cement his place in Colorado's future plans as Sanders and the Buffs refused to put him on scholarship this offseason.
As a result, he entered the portal and now, he's a Red Raider. That's great news for a Texas Tech program that is still in the process of building a winning offensive line, both now and in the future.
Cleveland likely doesn't step right into a starting role for the Red Raiders in 2025, especially at center, where starting center Sheridan Wilson is set to return. What's more, the program has seniors Davion Carter and Vinny Sciury penciled in as the starters at the guard spots.
In addition, quality players like transfer additions Will Jados and Hunter Zambrano, along with returning Red Raider Holton Hendrix, are all capable of playing along the interior of the offensive line. Still, Cleveland could carve out a role for himself this season.
However, it seems most likely that he is being looked at as a potential starter down the road. He has three years of eligibility left so he could play in four games this season and then redshirt (if the NCAA doesn't change its eligibility rules and do away with redshirts by giving all athletes across the board five years to play as has been rumored) and compete for a starting role next season when Tech could have to replace four starting offensive linemen.
Regardless of how Cleveland's journey at Texas Tech shakes out, he is the type of addition that makes sense for the program. He has experience starting in the Big 12, and he will help solidify a position group that has for too long been an area of concern under McGuire's watch. By bringing in a starter from another Big 12 contender to likely be an immediate depth piece, the Red Raiders have shown again that they are serious about building a contender in 2025, but they also have taken a step toward securing the program's long-term health as well.