Texas Tech football: Wells appeals to West Texas in first press conference

Saturday, new Texas Tech football head coach Matt Wells held his first press conference with the local media during which he attempted to connect with Red Raider fans and the people of West Texas.

There’s no denying that new Texas Tech football head coach Matt Wells was not the popular choice to replace Kliff Kingsbury.  Whether or not he was aware of that fact, we will never know but in his first public appearance since being hired, he spent a significant portion of his time trying to appeal to the fans and the community.

In the type of hybrid press conference / pep rally that we have become accustomed to at Texas Tech, Wells discussed his vision for the program, his background and his coaching philosophy.  But throughout, he continued to circle back to the merits of West Texas.

"“I felt there had a chance to be a connection with the West Texas people and what I think Red Raider football probably has been and what it should be,” Wells said.  “And that’s genuineness, it’s passion, it’s a blue-collar work ethic, it’s really being over-achievers in every sense.”"

Wells was born in South Carolina but spent virtually all of his childhood in rural Oklahoma.  Speaking with a slight drawl and using some country witticisms, he endeared himself to the locals, especially when he referred to Oklahoma as “that state up north”.

One of the reasons that Texas Tech fans remain skeptical of this hire is the perception (whether it is accurate or not is often immaterial in the minds of fans) that Wells will not be effective in recruiting Texas because he has not coached in the state at any level.  Not coincidentally, Wells made certain to tout his abilities to find Lone Star talent and reassure fans that he and his staff will be a factor in Texas high schools.

"“That’s a no-brainer” he said.  “I’ve done it for the vast majority of my career…A lot of the guys on the staff that I’m going to hire have extensive Texas recruiting backgrounds and I can’t wait to strengthen and re-strengthen those relationships because that’s the lifeblood of this program…”More from Wreck'Em RedTexas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these MountaineersTexas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 titleTexas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives"

He went on to praise the work of the high school coaches in the state before pointing out that his defensive coordinator Keith Patterson was an assistant coach at Allen High School and that his offensive coordinator David Yost has been recruiting Texas throughout his career.

One of the shortcomings of Kliff Kingsbury’s staff was its inability to be a greater factor on the recruiting trail.  In fact, Texas Tech’s 2018 signing class was the lowest-ranked class of any Power 5 school.  Kingsbury also did a poor job in landing West Texas talent, which was once a staple of Red Raider football.  Wells and his staff must work to regain the program’s foothold throughout the state but most especially in West Texas.

It is already apparent that Wells is a skilled motivator, at least in the oratory sense.  At times he almost comes across like a preacher in an old-fashioned tent revival.  Towards the end of the event, he revisited a point that he made in his opening remarks to the team on Thursday evening.

"“It’s all about the logo” he said.  “One of the things I’ll never forget that Kirby [Hocutt] said is that ‘In Lubbock and West Texas there ain’t nothing else.  All you see is Under Armour and the Double-T, that’s it.  There’s no other logos floating around here.’  And that’s pretty cool.  That’s really cool.“And I’m gonna tell you what, it takes everybody that can hear me right now.  That logo right there is more important than one person.  It’s more important than a brand new head coach because it ain’t all about me.  I promise you it’s not.  It’s not about a quarterback, it’s not about a kicker, it’s not about the best d-lineman we have.  It’s not about the president, it’s not about a booster, it’s not about an alumni…It’s about every one of us…It’s all about that Double-T.”"

Whether or not you were on board with Wells as a candidate (and I was not), it is hard not to like him as a person based on what little we have seen thus far.  His passion and enthusiasm is undeniable.

And he will need to maintain those traits throughout his tenure but especially in his first year in Lubbock because, unlike his predecessor, he has to win over a huge portion of the fan base before we ever see his team run a play.  Saturday, he took the first steps in that process by extolling the virtues of the university and West Texas, even telling a story about playing at Jones Stadium in 1996 (a 56-20 Red Raider win) saying that the Masked Rider’s horse had to run so much that it needed a water break.

Matt Wells seems to have the right personality for the job and as we know, that must not be underestimated in West Texas.  In his first appearance as the Texas Tech football head coach, he started to build a relationship that will be a harder sell for him than it probably should be.

But it looks like he might just be genuine and earnest enough to win over most of his detractors.  Of course, if he can finally figure out how to win some home games against Big 12 teams other than Kansas, we might build a statue of him on the corner of Broadway and University.