Texas Tech Red Raiders landed a major recruiting win with LaDamion Guyton, a five-star edge rusher from Savannah’s Benedictine Military School. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 225 pounds, Guyton is ranked No. 2 overall in the 2027 class by the 247Sports Composite. He is also the top player in Georgia and the No. 1 edge rusher nationally for his cycle.
How a Parking Lot Talk Sealed LaDamion Guyton’s Alleged $3.5M Texas Tech Pledge?
Stephen Cannon, Texas Tech’s quarterback commit, first sensed that Texas Tech had secured five-star edge rusher Guyton in the parking lot of Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School. Cannon was leaving summer practice. Guyton was arriving for linemen drills. They stopped to talk about Guyton’s recent trip to Lubbock.
“In the summer, the defensive linemen and the offensive linemen work out at different times than the skill so I saw him in the parking lot after,” Cannon said, as per On3. “I asked how his visit went and he was telling me all about it and I said, ‘OK, I’m going to stay on you and I’m going to keep talking to you.’ He said, ‘You don’t have to do too much more talking, they’re definitely my No. 1 right now.’ The visit was huge.”
Guyton, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound prospect ranked No. 2 nationally in the 2027 class, chose Texas Tech over Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Georgia was viewed as the main competition.
🚨BREAKING🚨 2027 5-star EDGE LaDamion Guyton has committed to Texas Tech🌵
Guyton is the No. 1 overall recruit in the Rivals300.
Read: https://t.co/paUaXsa7yd pic.twitter.com/waVjUlno2i
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 7, 2025
The former Savannah (Ga.) A Christian School player had transferred to Benedictine, where he and Cannon often discussed Texas Tech. Cannon’s pitch was consistent, but Guyton wanted to see Lubbock for himself.
“We talked a lot,” Cannon said. “I tried to explain the whole vision of where Texas Tech is going and what it could be in the future with us two going there. He seemed to buy into it. Coach (Joey) McGuire definitely helped with that. I told him he’s not going to find any coaches like them in the country with the real family feel. It’s just different. It’s easy to say but when you see it first-hand you understand it.”
When Guyton returned from his visit, his mind was made up.
“I tried to tell him a lot before his visit but when he came back he said, ‘OK, I see what you’re talking about now,’ and it ended up being enough,” Cannon said.
On3 reported that Texas Tech reached a $3.5 million NIL deal to secure Guyton. The arrangement is reportedly structured over three seasons, starting with $1.4 million in his junior year and increasing annually and potentially with bonuses.
While primary sources have not confirmed the terms, the figure underscores the program’s commitment to recruiting elite talent as part of a push to build a Big 12 and national contender.
