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Texas Tech football: Breaking down the candidates for head coach

By Matthew Conner

FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to a play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts to a play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

The Texas Tech football program has now begun the process of finding its next head coach.  Here are some of the names being mentioned and an analysis of how they might fit in Lubbock.

For the third time in a decade, the Texas Tech football program is looking for a new head coach.  With Sunday’s dismissal of Kliff Kingsbury after six seasons, athletic director Kirby Hocutt is tasked with making the most important hiring of his career.

There are plenty of facets for Hocutt to consider.  First of all, he has to decide if he wants a coach with previous head coaching experience or if he is willing to hire another high-profile assistant like he did in 2013 when he brought Kingsbury in after one season as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M.

Many believe that Hocutt would prefer an experienced head coach because as we saw with Kingsbury, learning how to be a head coach at Texas Tech, where there are fewer built-in advantages than at other programs, can be a daunting task.  But as we will discuss, there are some intriguing candidates available that have never been a head coach and Hocutt would be wise to consider them for the job.

Hocutt may also want to look for a coach that is familiar with Texas Tech.  Though it is not essential, having knowledge of the unique culture of Lubbock, West Texas and Texas Tech can be a tremendous asset to a coach.  We saw with Tommy Tuberville the importance of finding someone who is a proper fit for the position personality-wise.  Tuberville never fully embraced Lubbock or Texas Tech and as a result, he was never destined to have success.

The system that a coach runs is also certain to be a major consideration.  The Red Raiders should have a strong roster next year, especially on offense, but only if the new coaching staff utilizes the players properly.

Tech fans want to keep the “Air Raid” or some semblance of it.  It has become the identity of the program.

What’s more, it would not be wise to ask the young players like Alan Bowman to drastically change their style of play by having to adjust to a new system.  Certainly, each new coach will have his own wrinkles in the playbook but it will be important for whomever Hocutt hires to be able to run a scheme that accentuates the skill sets of the playmakers on the roster.

So with all of those factors in mind, let’s take a look at some of the names that are already being mentioned as possibilities to be the 16th head coach in Texas Tech football history.

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