Texas Tech icon Graham Harrell joins the College Football Hall of Fame, cementing a legacy built on record-shattering numbers, grit, and the spirit of Lubbock.
The 2025 season has become a victory lap for one of the greatest Texas Tech Red Raiders ever.
Graham Harrell, the quarterback who helped redefine offensive football and turned Lubbock into the epicenter of the Air Raid revolution, is now officially immortal. After joining Texas Tech's Ring of Honor in October, Harrell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 9, completing a long-overdue celebration of his legacy.
READ MORE: Texas Tech's Shiel Wood Is Building a Defensive Death Star ... And the Nation Finally Noticed
Harrell remains the highest-finishing Heisman Trophy candidate in Tech history, finishing fourth in 2008 in a year many still call one of the sport’s great snubs. Fittingly, 2025 mirrored that storyline, as linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was left off this year’s list of Heisman finalists - a familiar sting for Red Raider fans.
Before he rewrote the NCAA record book, Harrell was lighting up Texas high school scoreboards at Ennis High School, where he shattered state passing records with 12,532 career yards and 167 touchdowns.
That production followed him to Lubbock, where Mike Leach's Air Raid offense unlocked his full potential.
After a redshirt season and backup role in 2005, Harrell erupted.
His first year as a starter in 2006 produced 4,555 yards and 38 touchdowns, with even bigger numbers to come. In 2007, he delivered a statistical masterpiece: 5,705 yards, 48 touchdowns, and a 71.8 percent completion rate.
By 2008, Harrell was a national superstar, leading Tech to an 11-2 season, a share of the Big 12 South title, and an unforgettable run that included the famous win over Texas.
His final campaign featured 5,111 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions - plus a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, All-American honors, and dozens of program and NCAA records. Among them: Most completions in a season (512), most 400-yard games in a season (11), most career 400-yard games (20) and nearly 500 yards per game vs. Texas
READ MORE: Texas Tech Torches LSU, Rockets Up Rankings And Puts The Big 12 On Notice
Harrell's toughness became Red Raider folklore.
After breaking two fingers on his non-throwing hand in 2008, he famously told trainers, "Tape my hand up. I'm going out." He finished the game, had surgery, and played the bowl game ... a moment that helped define Tech's culture for generations.
Now one of just eight Red Raiders in the College Football Hall of Fame, Harrell joins an elite group including Michael Crabtree, Zach Thomas, Gabe Rivera, Donny Anderson, and E.J. Holub ... the legends who shaped Texas Tech football.
Though his pro career never took off, Harrell found his calling on the sidelines.
After stops across the Big 12 and beyond, he most recently served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Abilene Christian, helping lead the Wildcats to a 9-5 season and an FCS playoff run.
Nearly 100 miles from where it all began in Brownwood, Harrell is still molding quarterbacks, shaping offenses, and impacting the game he once dominated.
And now, his place in college football history is secure ... in Lubbock, in the Hall of Fame, and in the Air Raid legacy that will outlive us all.