LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech’s summer recruiting furnace just roared to life.
On June 8, head coach Krista Gerlich confirmed that 6‑foot‑1 SEC sniper Snudda Collins is transferring from Ole Miss to play her graduate season with the Lady Raiders in 2025‑26, instantly giving Tech the kind of proven perimeter threat the roster lacked during last year’s up‑and‑down ride through Big 12 play.
Collins arrives with a résumé that reads like a tailor‑made wish list for Gerlich’s run‑and‑gun system: 175 career three‑pointers (fifth‑most in Ole Miss history), two SEC Academic Honor Roll nods, and a well‑earned reputation for draining clutch shots in hostile buildings. In her very first college game back in 2020, the Brookhaven, Mississippi, native exploded for 23 points—still the highest debut total ever recorded by a Rebel.
Gerlich did not mince words in the official release. “Her versatility to score the ball, plus her length and athleticism on defense, elevates our team instantly… Snudda is passionate, hungry, and her leadership is already apparent,” the coach raved. Texas Tech’s staff believes Collins’ combination of range (37.7 percent from deep as a freshman) and toughness will open the floor for returners like Bailey Maupin and Jasmine Shavers while giving opponents one more scorer to chase off the arc.
The raw numbers back up the hype. During the 2023‑24 season—her final active campaign before sitting out 2024‑25—Collins averaged 9.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 25.8 minutes, knocking down 50 triples and posting 14 double‑figure scoring nights. Her season‑high 22 points against Louisville came in a game Ole Miss desperately needed to stay in the AP Top 25. Those contributions helped the Rebels finish 24‑9, reach the SEC semifinals and punch a ticket to the NCAA round of 32.
A year earlier she proved she could shine on the sport’s biggest stage, hitting three critical threes in an upset of No. 1 seed Stanford that launched Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years. Over her four active seasons she started 73 contests, paced the Rebels in made threes every year, and climbed to fourth on their all‑time list for attempts (574). Add in two weekly SEC freshman honors plus a spot on the league’s All‑Freshman Team, and it’s clear Tech is getting far more than a stand‑still shooter.
From a roster‑construction standpoint the timing could not be sweeter. Texas Tech finished 19‑18 overall and 4‑14 in Big 12 play last season, limping into the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament after enduring multiple single‑digit losses decided in the final minute. The Lady Raiders converted just 30.2 percent of their three‑point tries in conference action—good for 10th in the league. Collins alone shot 28 percent from deep last year, and her career peaks sit well above 35 percent, suggesting immediate, measurable improvement.
Collins also checks an intangible box that Gerlich has targeted all offseason: seasoned postseason leadership. She played in nine NCAA tournament games, practiced against SEC defenses for four years and understands how to handle the spotlight that comes with nationally televised showdowns. Gerlich has frequently pointed out that Texas Tech’s talented sophomore‑heavy core needed a battle‑tested voice in late‑game huddles. “Her leadership is already apparent,” the coach reiterated—a line that signals Collins will wear a figurative, if not literal, captain’s band the moment she sets foot in the Womble Center.
Collins’ commitment also caps a productive few weeks for the Lady Raiders, who earlier secured versatile 6‑4 JUCO post Trinity Freelon and retained every double‑figure scorer from the 2024‑25 squad. With floor‑spacer Collins parked on the wing, slash‑and‑kick opportunities should multiply for Maupin, Shavers and point guard Kilah Freeman, while defenses will be forced to pick their poison between packing the paint and chasing Collins three feet beyond the arc. If newly promoted offensive coordinator Plenette Pierson (herself a Tech legend) opts for more five‑out sets, expect Collins to play the same “stretch‑three” role that powered Ole Miss’ back‑to‑back NCAA runs. (Tech has not yet released official lineup projections, but staffers have hinted at heavier use of positionless looks during summer workouts.)
The signing reverberates beyond Lubbock, too. Big 12 contenders like Baylor, Kansas State and Iowa State all lost double‑digit scorers to the WNBA or graduation, leaving a power vacuum behind preseason favorite Texas. Snatching an SEC‑tested scorer from the portal sends a clear message that Gerlich plans to climb into the upper half of the standings now—long before the expanded 16‑team Big 12 reshapes the landscape in 2026. One high‑major assistant texted local media that Collins to Tech was “the sneakiest needle‑mover of the entire portal cycle.”
Bottom line: Texas Tech’s offseason just moved from warm to red‑hot. If Collins’ shooting travels from Oxford to the Panhandle—and if her senior voice galvanizes a lineup still learning how to finish games—the Lady Raiders could transform from WBIT bridesmaids to legitimate NCAA tournament threats in a single season. Season tickets are on sale; seats behind the arc might be the most coveted, because that’s where Snudda Collins is about to make United Supermarkets Arena feel like her personal heat‑check laboratory.
