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Texas Tech football: Three obstacles Matt Wells must overcome in 2019

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 08: Demarcus Felton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Lamar Cardinals on September 08, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 08: Demarcus Felton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Lamar Cardinals on September 08, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images )
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images ) /

As Matt Wells continues to put his stamp on the Texas Tech football program, it is becoming clear that the task facing the new Red Raider head coach is more difficult than most Tech fans initially realized.

Taking over a new program is never easy, especially at a Power 5 school.  And given that most view the Texas Tech football job as one of the toughest in the nation, it is easy to see how expectations for Matt Wells’ first year are rather modest, both among the fan base and the national media.

For instance, Wells was not included in College Football News’ list of five new coaches that will make an instant impact this year.  But another Big 12 coach, Les Miles of Kansas, made the cut which is somewhat sobering for Red Raider fans who now see the head coach of the worst Power 5 program in the nation carry more sizzle into this fall than the man leading their program.

Certainly, some of that is due to Miles’ past success at LSU (which is about as far from Kansas on the college football landscape as any program in the nation) as well as his quirky personality.  Meanwhile, Wells is a relative newcomer on the national scene who has been toiling away in virtual obscurity at Utah State.  And his personality is far more that of a generic associate pastor at a local non-denominational church than that of Miles’ “Mad Hatter” persona, which the national media loves.

And even when Wells is given a bit of positive national publicity, it comes with a bit of a back-handed nature.  The USA Today recently listed their coaches likely to succeed at new schools and Wells made the cut at No. 14.  But at the end of the blurb about Wells, there’s a statement that changes the entire tone of the analysis.

"“If success is defined as better than Kingsbury, that seems like an attainable goal for Wells” writes Ralph D. Russo.  “If Red Raiders fans expect to replicate Mike Leach’s success in Lubbock, they’re probably setting themselves up to be disappointed.”"

Also keep in mind that Wells is one of 27 coaches on that list and that he is behind such coaches as Houston’s Dana Holgorsen (No. 1), West Virginia’s Neal Brown (No. 4) and Kansas State’s Chris Klieman (No. 8).  Thus, even when Wells is given a bit of credit, it comes with an overall tone of temperance.

Certainly, there are reasons that most have low expectations for Texas Tech in the first year post-Kingsbury.  Though Wells’ predecessor is a beloved alum who worked tirelessly to bring success to his alma mater, it is hard to say that he left the program in better shape than he found it (at least on the field and arguably off as well).

As a result, Wells is staring down some tremendous challenges in his first year on the job in Lubbock. Here are three obstacles he is facing as he attempts to get Texas Tech football headed back in the right direction in 2019.

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