Texas Tech renamed Jones AT&T Stadium to Galaxy Stadium on Friday under a 15-year agreement worth $75 million, confirmed by athletic department sources. The deal with Galaxy, an AI infrastructure company, averages $5 million per year and includes a direct NIL funding commitment for Red Raiders football players.

The stadium held 60,454 seats when it opened in 1947 and now seats 60,862 after renovations. AT&T's naming rights expired without renewal after a decade-long run that paid approximately $3.5 million annually, per industry estimates. Galaxy's offer represents a 43% premium over the previous deal, reflecting both inflation and the added NIL component. The AI firm, which provides enterprise machine learning infrastructure, has no prior sports sponsorship history. Its CEO attended Texas Tech from 1998 to 2002.

The structure matters because it separates venue branding from NIL funding in the contract language but ties both to a single sponsor check. Texas Tech will route an undisclosed portion of the $5 million annual payment through its Matador Club collective, which distributes NIL deals to football players. Other Big 12 schools are studying the arrangement. Kansas State's athletic director mentioned "integrated NIL sponsor structures" in a December donor call. TCU's deputy AD met with Galaxy executives in January, per two people familiar with the meeting. The Texas Tech model allows schools to convert stadium inventory into athlete compensation without changing the underlying contract—sponsors write one check, schools allocate internally.

Galaxy Stadium naming becomes official August 1, ahead of the Red Raiders' season opener against Abilene Christian on August 30. The company will receive exterior signage, LED board inventory, and club-level branding. The NIL portion flows through July 2040, matching the stadium rights term. Worth noting: Galaxy's valuation was $1.2 billion in its Series C round last October, led by Sequoia and a16z. The company has 240 employees and no sports marketing team. Texas Tech is hiring a third-party agency to manage activation.

The Big 12 naming rights landscape now shows TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium and Kansas State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium without corporate titles, while Oklahoma State's Boone Pickens Stadium carries a donor name. Texas Tech's deal ranks second in the conference behind Baylor's McLane Stadium, which does not disclose financials but industry estimates place near $6 million annually in value when factoring donor contributions. BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium has no corporate partner. The Red Raiders' agreement explicitly permits renegotiation if NCAA rules change to allow schools to pay athletes directly—a clause appearing in three other recent college sponsorship contracts reviewed by sources.

Galaxy's CEO will attend the August 30 opener. The company plans to announce a "fan AI experience" at the stadium in June, details undisclosed. The first NIL checks to players are scheduled for July 15.