Joey McGuire's hiring as head coach of Texas Tech signaled a shift in priorities for the program. Five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson’s pledge on Monday night could be remembered as the statement-making moment of his tenure.

Not only did Tech fully embrace the idea of hiring a true program builder by picking McGuire, the move was also a statement of intent to relentlessly recruit the state of Texas, something that the previous head coach didn’t make as much of a concerted effort to do, and proof that you can bring high-level talent to Lubbock.

“Kirby (Hocutt) said that he wanted to connect the high school coaches, and that is my DNA,” McGuire said during his introductory press conference. “I want to thank the THSCA and all the Texas high school coaches for all the support. And I am one of them and I am very proud of that. I am a high school coach that coaches college football. It’s not the other way around.”

The man that was arguably as instrumental in Baylor’s turnaround as the two head coaches he worked under quickly ingratiated himself to the Tech faithful and unearthed a spigot of funding via the Matador Club that put Tech right in the thick of the NIL arms race in the form of a $2.5 million deal with the football program within just over six months on the job. This past spring, the Matador Club announced an increase in funding to now pay walk-ons in addition to scholarship football players.

The talk and campaigning was there, but the action needed to follow suit. And after Tech’s best season since the Mike Leach era, the proof of concept is starting to reveal itself, even in the midst of an 0-2 start to 2023.

It arguably all started with the commitment of Hutto four-star quarterback Will Hammond last December, a player that McGuire’s staff was early on when they offered him in June 2022, the same month that Hammond received his first Division I offers from UTSA and UIW. Prior to Hudson's commitment, Hammond was seen as the crown jewel of a 2024 Red Raider class that's still gaining momentum.

Where conventional wisdom says that Texas Tech needs to scour for diamonds in the rough on the recruiting trail in order to bring talent to a campus 300 miles away from the nearest metro area, McGuire’s staff is proving that top talent can land firmly in the South Plains.

While the story of Hudson’s commitment isn’t one nearly as hinged on NIL as some may believe, the motivated booster class at Texas Tech has allowed the Red Raiders to play on a more level playing field with the powerhouses of college football. Yes, Texas and A&M wield the largest check books in the state, but Tech’s base, backed by oil money, has shrunk the financial gap to where the program now has a shot at not only competing for top recruits but renovating the infrastructure of the program entirely.

Last summer, Joey McGuire told a room full of Texas Tech alumni that their plan for the new endzone complex was to beat Oklahoma and “knockdown the end zone.” It was a brash claim that could’ve spelled disaster before his first season. Following Tech’s 51-48 overtime win over the Sooners, marking the first time ever that the Red Raiders had beaten both Oklahoma and Texas in the same season, McGuire’s brashness has leant itself to be something to invest in.