No coach in the modern era of Texas Tech football enjoyed a better two-year start than current head coach Joey McGuire. The former state champion head coach at Cedar Hill High School is 15-11 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12 after two seasons as a collegiate head coach.
Mike Leach won 14 games overall and was 7-9 in the Big 12 in his first two seasons on campus. Spike Dykes won 11 games and was one game above .500 against Southwest Conference foes in his first two seasons as the head coach in Lubbock. Tommy Tuberville and Kliff Kingsbury couldn’t top 12 overall wins or post a winning record in conference play over their first two seasons in charge.
But don’t expect McGuire to celebrate. He saw the 7-5 2023 season as a letdown.
“Last year was really hard,” he said. “Part of me died a little bit last year because we had such high expectations. You never want to make excuses, but there’s always reasons why things happen.”
Those reasons include starting three quarterbacks for the second straight season. The defense played eight inside linebackers. In the eight-win 2022 campaign, the Red Raiders were 4-0 in one-possession games. Last year, the team was 3-3 in close games, including an 0-3 start in one-possession games in early season losses to Wyoming, Oregon, and West Virginia. Win one of those games and Tech matches its 2022 win total. Win all three and the Red Raiders post a 10-win season for the first time since 2008.
Close games are determined by coaching, McGuire said. He made his entire staff, including himself, rewatch every game from the 2023 season this offseason with a simple goal – find out why they won the games they won, and find out why they could’ve won the games they lost. No one was safe from criticism and self-reflection.
“I allowed my frustration from losing close games to create negativity when there was already frustration in the building,” McGuire admitted. “There were times I needed to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing it this way, or I want this done.’ I’ve always wanted my assistants and players to come around to my suggestions on their own, but there are times I need to be more forceful with what the best route of action is.”
Anyone who knows McGuire describes him as an optimist. Ask him about conference realignment and he’ll speak about the new and exciting challenges ahead in the Big 12 more than what Texas and Oklahoma leaving does to the conference. Ask him about NIL or the Transfer Portal and he’ll tell you about their benefits, not their detriments. The same is true about his football team.
“I believe we’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “I’m not a coach-speak guy. If I believe we’re good, I’m going to tell you. I think we’re going to be good. We’ve recruited well and we’re starting to see a more talented roster.”
Anything less than Big 12 contention would be viewed as disappointment. The Red Raiders signed the top recruiting class in the new-look Big 12 and brought in instant-impact transfers at need positions such as wide receiver and offensive line. The defense is deeper and playing faster due to familiarity with the system. The team knows who the starting quarterback will be, and who the offense runs through – running back Tahj Brooks.
The changing sands of the college football landscape mean the winner of the Big 12 makes the expanded 12-team playoff. Texas Tech wants to be included. And McGuire feels like everything can still run through Lubbock, especially because of the resources at his disposal. A quick start and success on the road are the missing ingredients in McGuire’s tenure. His team was 1-4 on the road in 2022 and 2-4 in 2023. They started 1-3 with three one-possession losses last year.
“The excitement, support, and resources pumping into this program eliminate excuses, and I like that,” McGuire said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to compete from a facilities and collective standpoint to make a real run as a football program. Now, it is my job to make sure we’re putting that product on the field.”