One of the first coaches to take to the main stage after Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. The Red Raiders have grabbed plenty of national headlines for their busy off-season. McGuire has never backed down to big expectations in the past, and this year was no different. But how he answered questions this year revealed more than the coach realized. So, what did McGuire’s media days insights actually tell everyone?
Roster Overhaul
Unquestionably, the number one story of the off-season, not only in the Big 12 but in college football, was the transfer class the Red Raiders have brought in. When McGuire was asked about it, he said that the coaching staff was really aggressive in the portal and that they’ve had a lot of fun this off-season. The two position groups that they focused on the most were the offensive and defensive lines. McGuire noted that because of all the additions to the transfer portal, they have a different type of depth along both sides of the line of scrimmage that they’ve never had in the past.
In addition, the head coach was asked about the return of wide receiver Micah Hudson. He spent the off-season with Texas A&M before transferring back to the Red Raiders in the spring portal. Hudson is the highest ranked recruit the program had ever signed out of high school. However, he never found the field in his first season in a way that many expected him to. McGuire candidly shared that when he called Hudson‘s mom during the spring portal window, she stated that Hudson was going to come see McGuire face-to-face to talk about it. The head coach then shared during their meeting, McGuire admitted to things that he could’ve done better during the first season together in Lubbock. If Hudson is healthy and is back to being about football, he could really elevate this receiver corps, which is currently headlined by Caleb Douglas.
What Would Philly Do?
In the current landscape of college football, rosters are built in a manner that mimics the NFL. Head coaches must trust their personnel department to make the best decisions to fill out the current and future rosters of the program. When asked about this, McGuire said, “[Matt] Rhule taught me to surround myself with great people. [You] have to trust your personnel people.” McGuire was one of the pioneers in allowing his general manager, James Blanchard (who turned down the Notre Dame job this offseason), to offer high school recruits a scholarship.
The Texas Tech personnel department was ready to capitalize on this off-season, with the backing of mega-booster Cody Campbell. The one position group McGuire told ESPN personnel that he was most excited to see in week one was his defensive line. McGuire then spoke at length about Romello Height, transfer from Georgia Tech, and David Bailey, transfer from Stanford. He gave further insight into Bailey’s recruitment process. Bailey only became available after the first transfer portal had closed with the dismissal of Stanford’s head football coach. McGuire had discussions with the player personnel staff when the question was asked, “What would Philly do?” The immediate response to thinking about what the Super Bowl champions would do was to go get another defensive lineman. That was all the staff needed to pursue Bailey heavily.
Need To Know Their Why
It appears the Texas Tech head coach has recently read Simon Sinek’s best-selling novel “Starts With Why.” McGuire’s Media Days insight for individual players multiple times came back to “We want to find their “why”.” Specifically to preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year Jacob Rodriguez, McGuire said, “Rodriguez is married, so we knew his ‘why” immediately”. Some at Last Word don’t find him to be the top of the linebackers returning in 2025. But McGuire was glowing, speaking about his defensive leader.
McGuire also referenced this when answering questions about maintaining a culture with all the different transfer players. He also provided details on players like Lee Hunter, the transfer from UCF. Hunter has been an established player and leader on a team before. McGuire said, “We wanted to make sure we gave him [Hunter] and other transfers a voice.” McGuire again referred to knowing each of the players’ “why” as an important fit for his culture.
Expectations For McGuire’s Offense
McGuire saw both his offensive and defensive coordinators leave this offseason. Most notably, former Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kitley accepted the head coaching job at FAU. McGuire spoke very highly of Kittley during his remarks. He then began talking about his new offensive coordinator, Mack Leftwich, and how he hopes to have him for at least three years, like he did with Kittley. But McGuire feels so confident in Leftwich’s ability, he anticipates him being a head coach in the very near future. McGuire knows how important it is for him to hire guys who want to continue to climb up the coaching ranks and become a head coach one day. The Red Raider head coach said shortly after hiring Leftwich that there’s an expectation among Red Raider fans to see a busy scoreboard, and that “points matter in Lubbock, Texas.”
McGuire recognizes that one of the key elements and doing so is becoming more explosive on offense. Quarterback Behren Morton is back as the team starter for the third straight season. While last year Morton did an admirable job of protecting the football, McGuire acknowledged that Morton is going to have to take the next step in order for this team to get a Big 12 conference title. McGuire stated that his first priority is still to protect the football, but the next step has to be pushing the ball down the field and getting more explosive. McGuire acknowledged that it’s a very fine line between protecting the ball and being aggressive. But his expectation is for Morton to find that balance point in order to raise the level of offensive output in 2025.
McGuire’s Media Days Persona
“We are an old team,” said the fourth-year head coach when describing his total roster. But that seems to be the mentality of the head coach. An old, experienced coach, unfazed by the pressure around him. McGuire’s media days persona is always full of energy. But this year, the head coach seemingly had a different level of confidence when answering the questions. There was no need for him to grab the attention of anybody via his answers. McGuire very much appeared to be a head coach with supreme confidence in his roster.
He appeared not to feel the need to try to build up any sort of hype or excitement around his team. McGuire knows what the expectations are heading into this season. It’s clear the head coach wants the results on the field to do the talking. This is a man who famously said, “Everything runs through Lubbock!” during an upset victory over the Texas Longhorns back in 2022. Make no mistake, the passion and boldness that McGuire carries with him is still very present.
But his demeanor during media days was that of a coach with supreme security in his belief of his team. There’s an old expression that says, “money talks, wealth whispers.” No question, Texas Tech money has been talking all off-season. But the way McGuire answered his questions today, he was a man who is very wealthy with his roster and is going to let everyone witness it first hand when the ball kicks off this fall in 2025.
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