Texas Tech football: Breaking down the candidates for head coach
Matt Wells – Utah State head coach
One of the hottest names in coaching circles is Utah State head coach Matt Wells. The 45-year-old has guided his alma mater to a 10-2 record this year and has been nominated for the George Munger College Coach of the Year.
This season, Utah State is averaging 47.2 points per game, third-most in the nation. They rank 20th in the nation in passing at just over 288 yards per game and 11th in total offense at 492.5 yards.
Prior to Saturday’s loss to Boise, Utah State was ranked 14th in the nation, a considerable achievement for a program that was just 6-7 last year. In Well’s five seasons, the Aggies have a record of 44-34 and have been to four bowls.
Wells played quarterback for Utah State from 1993-96. He was then an assistant coach at Navy, Tulsa, New Mexico and Louisville before returning to Utah State in 2011.
Most seem to believe that Wells can coach. And he has a pedigree of producing potent offenses.
But there are questions about his ability to lead a Power 5 program. He only has one season as an assistant at a Power 5 school so asking him to turn around a program in one of the toughest major conferences in the country might be ambitious.
Another issue to consider is whether or not he would be able to recruit Texas effectively. He has no ties to the Lone Star State but that could be overcome by hiring assistants that have already built relationships with high school programs in Texas Tech’s prime recruiting areas.
Still others may be concerned that Wells would be a short-timer in Lubbock who might use Texas Tech as a stepping stone to a bigger job. However, should that come to fruition, it would be an indication that he had success with the Red Raiders which would certainly be what Hocutt is most concerned with.