The agreement starts with the 2026 season, renaming Jones AT&T Stadium to Galaxy Stadium and expanding Galaxy’s role into data center, digital assets and NIL partnerships.
Galaxy Digital will pay Texas Tech about $75 million over 15 years in a naming-rights agreement that rebrands Jones AT&T Stadium as Galaxy Stadium beginning with the 2026 season. Texas Tech Athletics announced the deal on July 17, saying the venue’s new name will debut on September 5, 2026, when the Red Raiders host Abilene Christian. The agreement follows the expiration in June of AT&T’s naming-rights arrangement, which had been tied to the stadium for roughly 20 years. The partnership goes beyond stadium signage. Galaxy also becomes Texas Tech Athletics’ official data center and digital assets partner, extending its branding across football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball through digital and in-game placements. The deal also includes Name, Image, and Likeness, or NIL (athlete endorsement rights), opportunities for Texas Tech athletes through branded campaigns and content agreements. Galaxy Digital, led by founder Michael Novogratz, said it sees Texas Tech as a strategic fit partly because of its existing presence in West Texas. The company’s Helios data center site in Dickens County, about 60 miles from campus, has approved capacity of 1.6 gigawatts and uses a closed-loop water system. The company has also hired Texas Tech graduates for that facility. Texas Tech Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt said the partnership would help create lasting memories for fans, while Novogratz cited the school’s fan base and recent on-field success, including a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance, as reasons for the agreement. Texas Tech said the university will formally recognize Clifford B. Jones, the university’s third president, whose name has been attached to the venue since it opened in 1947. The arrangement also includes commitments tied to local hiring and community investment in West Texas. Learfield’s Andrew Wheeler, whose company brokered the agreement through Texas Tech Athletics Partners, said the partnership was designed to go beyond a traditional sponsorship with a longer-term campus and fan component. The deal reflects a broader push by universities to secure new corporate revenue as conference realignment and NIL costs increase athletic spending. It also fits a pattern of crypto and AI infrastructure companies using sports partnerships to broaden their reach beyond existing digital-asset users. For investors, the agreement is framed as a brand-building expense rather than a standalone financial catalyst, while for Texas Tech the payments provide predictable revenue as athletic departments face rising costs. The next key milestone comes when Galaxy Stadium hosts its first game in September 2026.