Texas Tech Football: Reinvention and accountability must inspire 2017

Building off momentum from Patrick Mahomes’ Draft rise, Texas Tech Football has the opportunity to break out, and achieve success, however, reinvention and accountability must be part of the equation.

Texas Tech Football has seen a handful of successful periods in its history–most recently in 2013, when the Red Raiders went 8-4, and capped the season with a Holiday Bowl victory over ASU. Since then, the seasons have been mediocre at best, despite wins over Baylor, Texas, and TCU sprinkled in without much consistency.

The 2016 season ended at 5-7, but if you perform an autopsy on last year, you realize that Texas Tech was about 21 points from being 8-4, and Bowl eligible. We can blame the defense all we want (and yes, the inconsistencies there have been unacceptable), however, several ill-advised passes from Mahomes, and a few drops could have carved out a successful season, and we would be having a much different conversation.

Patrick Mahomes’ Draft rise was a blessing in disguise for Texas Tech. It elevated the Air Raid on a national scale, and Texas Tech’s brand reached recruits it might not have had the resources to achieve before.

With the urgency to win in 2017, this upcoming summer will be no vacation for Texas Tech football.

But first, here’s what needs to be addressed:

Facilities

Texas Tech hasn’t fallen behind because of its coaching staff over the years, its fallen behind because the administration didn’t jump on the facilities bandwagon upgrades 10 years ago when it should have.

Flashy locker rooms, and gimmicky marketing is intended to attract recruits as freshmen–in high school. Schools like Texas and Oklahoma understand that, which is why it’s easier to assemble top recruiting classes. If you’re a booster, you have every right to call out the mismanagement in that department, but Texas Tech won’t win in recruiting until there’s a major overhaul–and one that transcends its current plans.

Coaching, and Accountability

Several fans have been vocal in wanting disgraced former head coach Art Briles if Kingsbury doesn’t survive the 2017 campaign. As a coach, Briles brings nothing more to the table than Kliff Kingsbury, but he won in recruiting because he chose talent over character. Yes, players who exhibit both talent and character exist, but as top producing defensive players start to dwindle, those players are guaranteed to go to the likes of Clemson, Alabama, etc.

If you want to chalk Texas Tech’s disappointments to poor coaching, we’re all entitled to our opinions, however, you will not find another coaching staff more dedicated, talented, or willing to succeed–especially at their price point.

When Coach Whitt and Coach Salwasser were brought in at the beginning of 2016, the underlying hiring point was to start instilling a level of accountability the players hadn’t seen. The entire strength and conditioning staff was hired to make athletes better, not create athletes out of thin air.

If players are leaving (thus contributing to everyone’s “favorite” topic of attrition), it’s because they’re not willing to put in the work. It’s that simple. The staff isn’t running the program like a militaristic boot camp, but militaristic levels of precise execution and work ethic are the standard now. If players aren’t willing to get on board, it says more about them, than the program or the coaches.

When David Gibbs was brought in three years ago, his job was to create a defense that mirrored Houston’s fortitude, while creating a turnover machine. We saw bursts of that last season, but Rome wasn’t built overnight, and at the very least, recruits and players can now say a defensive plan has finally started taking shape under Gibbs, as opposed to the period of instability before he arrived.

Sure, Kingsbury’s extension back in 2013 was perplexing, but more than anything, it demonstrated a fluid commitment by both parties. That commitment hasn’t exactly resulted in wins by both the staff, and administration, however, all parties must be held accountable. If Kingsbury goes, so should Kirby Hocutt.

Changing the coaching staff won’t change Texas Tech’s wins/losses results, and the less dedication recruits see by the fans, the less likely they are to even show interest in Texas Tech. With facilities that will continue to lack the wonder and amazement by today’s youth, Texas Tech Football needs every advantage they can get–and it starts with you–the fans.

Reinventing The Wheel

I’ve spoken to a few NFL team scouts over the years, and they’ve all agreed that offenses like the Air Raid have made it harder and harder to scout pro-ready players. This is largely due to the fact that recruits who can play offensive and defensive positions are on the rise, and most of those players are electing to go offense full-time because pass/catch statistics and plays are what gives players maximum exposure.

If you’re a receiver, and you make a catch in the back of the endzone where you’re reaching around the defensive back and using him to make the catch, it looks great on you, but suddenly, that DBs number is posterized and used against him in NFL discussion. Unfortunately, freshmen and sophomores in high school who play dual roles see that, and view an offensive route as a meal ticket, however, at the collegiate level, it’s much easier to recruit on a premise that playing dual roles allows for maximum exposure and development; which could significantly help them in Draft discussion.

The conclusion we must draw from this is that if Texas Tech Football wants to rise, it has to get gritty. This might mean going after guys on the recruiting trail like Budda Baker, Myles Jack, Adoree Jackson, and Robert Nkemdiche; players who can be versatile on offense, defense, and special teams.

By going after guys who can play both OL and DL, safety and receiver, you’re not only getting players with incredible football IQ, but you’re adding a level on the depth chart that could come in handy as the season progresses.

Sure, that’s easier said than done, but those players are out there, and it’s imperative to find them.

Texas Tech played a significant role in creating one of the most disruptive offenses in the modern football era. With fans growing restless, it’s time for it to help create another disruptive force; one that nurtures production, and creates a safety net for departures and injuries.

Moreover, instead of running for the turnstiles, fans need to step up in a big way, and demonstrate commitment to recruits, who could call Lubbock “home” one day.

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