Former Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady, the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, has committed to Texas Tech via the transfer portal and will join the Red Raiders next spring in a record-breaking name, image and likeness deal that will shake up the college softball world, she told ESPN on Wednesday.
Canady entered the portal on June 17 after leading Stanford to back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances in 2023 and 2024, posting a 0.67 ERA with 555 strikeouts in 365⅔ innings in her freshman and sophomore seasons with the Cardinal.
Her NIL deal with Texas Tech will reach seven figures annually, a source told ESPN. It's an unprecedented deal for a college softball player that was made possible by Texas Tech boosters John and Tracy Sellers.
These last two years have been amazing and I am grateful @StanfordSball for the trip of a lifetime. Excited for what's next! @TexasTechSB image.twitter.com/C017QT51Gp
— NiJaree Canady (@CanadyNijaree) July 24, 2024
Canady, a right-hander from Topeka, Kansas, is transferring to Texas Tech with two years of eligibility remaining and represents a monumental off-season addition for first-year coach Gerry Glasco, who was hired in Lubbock in June after seven seasons in Louisiana.
Canady’s commitment caps the most closely watched recruiting portal since the end of the 2024 softball season. The 2024 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year confirmed she made trips to Tennessee, Alabama, UCLA and Kansas over the past month before closing with a visit to the Red Raiders this week. By Wednesday, Canady had narrowed her decision down to returning to Stanford or transferring to Texas Tech. She ultimately committed to the Red Raiders before leaving Lubbock, influenced by Glasco’s vision for a program that has never reached the Women’s College World Series in its history.
“I think what struck me the most was the number of players who started following him in the days and weeks after his death. [Glasco arrived at Texas Tech]”Canady told ESPN. “… Some kids even opted out of contact when they came into the portal because they knew they wanted to follow him wherever he went. I think that speaks highly of him as a coach.”
Along with Glasco's speech, Canady pointed to NIL as a factor all transfers must consider in the modern era of college athletics and acknowledged its role in his decision-making process.
Canady's deal with the Red Raiders topped a six-figure offer from Stanford that would have made her the highest-paid female athlete in school history, sources told ESPN. Canady also pointed to potential opportunities at Texas Tech through a recently announced deal between the school, Adidas and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and former Red Raider Patrick Mahomes.
“I never would have imagined it,” Canady told ESPN. “But I feel like we have to invest in women's sports. We saw it with women's basketball this year — we invested in women's sports and women's basketball just exploded nationally. I think the same thing has happened with softball… If I'm a small part of that, that's my dream.”
Canady now heads to Texas Tech after leading the nation with a 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts in 2024, going 24-7 in the circle during her sophomore season at Stanford. Emerging as one of college softball’s top pitchers over two seasons with the Cardinal, Canady was the guiding force that led the program to its first pair of Women’s College World Series appearances since 2004 under seventh-year head coach Jessica Allister.
“These last two years at Stanford have been incredible, I mean it,” Canady said. “I love my coaches and my teammates. It's been an unforgettable experience and I wouldn't trade those two years for anything in the world.”
Canady’s next challenge will be leading a Texas Tech program that has reached the NCAA tournament just six times in program history, ready to navigate a Big 12 conference now missing previous league leaders Oklahoma and Texas in 2025. The Red Raiders closed the 2024 season with a 29-21 record under Craig Snider, who stepped down to take an assistant role at Tennessee after two seasons at Texas Tech.
Glasco arrived to take over the Red Raiders last month after leading Louisiana to a 45-19 record last spring, including a win over eventual national champion Oklahoma on March 3. The Ragin' Cajuns reached the NCAA tournament six times under Glasco's leadership, emerging as perennial Sun Belt contenders while posting a .773 winning percentage in his seven seasons in charge.
Canady will open next spring solidified as the ace of a Red Raiders pitching staff that will include four other pitchers in 2025, including transfer Chloe Riassetto, who went 11-2 with a 2.21 career ERA in two seasons at Louisiana. In all, Canady represents Texas Tech’s ninth and most high-profile offseason addition, a group that includes five players who followed Glasco from the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Questions remain as to whether the Red Raiders have a roster capable of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament in 2025. But after Canady’s seismic commitment, Texas Tech will embark on 2025 with a Women’s College World Series-caliber ace in the circle and the eyes of the softball world on Lubbock.
“My goal every year is to win the Women's College World Series, so that's my goal right now,” Canady said. “I think there's a good core of young players coming up and a lot of good players from Louisiana. They're all stars and they looked great. Being able to compete in the Big 12 … I think it's going to be fun.”
