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Texas Tech football: Matt Wells needs to follow Chris Beard’s blueprint

By Matthew Conner

EAST LANSING, MI - AUGUST 31: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies looks on while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - AUGUST 31: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies looks on while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

Never stop grinding on the recruiting trail

Perhaps the most difficult task of coaching at Texas Tech, especially in football, is on the recruiting trail.  As the third-most high-profile program in Texas, Tech is in an unenviable position when it comes to recruiting.  Hours away from the major talent centers of the state, there are factors beyond anyone’s control that must be overcome when attempting to lure elite talent to Lubbock.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential that Wells emulate Chris Beard and become a relentless recruiter who never stops grinding away in the pursuit of improving his roster.

In back-to-back seasons, Beard has brought in the best recruiting classes in program history.  And this year’s class could turn out to be special.  Already with a top-30 class in the nation prior to Monday, the 2019 Texas Tech basketball class now sits at No. 14 in the country and No. 2 in the Big 12 after the commitment of 4-star recruit Terrence Shannon Jr.

And the reason Beard has had such success on the recruiting trail is because he and his staff never stop trying to land talent.  But it never seemed like the Kingsbury staff had the same attitude.

Kingsbury was never as dynamic on the recruiting trail as most assumed he would be given his youth and good looks.  Naturally introverted, perhaps he lacked the salesmanship qualities needed to win over 18-year-old kids that have been worshiped for their entire athletic careers.

And the Kingsbury staff was oddly selective when it came to handing out offers.  For example, they gave out just 141 total offers in the 2018 recruiting cycle.  By contrast, Wells’ staff has already handed out 100 offers to players in the 2020 class, which is still nine months from the early signing day.

Last year, Chris Beard tore a knee ligament when he fell on the sidelines during Tech’s game at Iowa State.  And after the season, he put off the subsequent surgery until after he was finished recruiting, which included landing two of the top graduate transfers in the nation in Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens (both of whom earned Big 12 honors this season).

Wells and his assistants have already done a commendable job of reaching out to dozens of high school programs across the state so there’s reason to believe they will be more similar to Beard than Kingsbury on the recruiting trail.  The average Big 12 ranking of the six recruiting classes Kingsbury signed was just 6.3 and only one of those classes was ranted higher than No. 44 in the nation.  If Wells is going to have success, he must recruit like Chris Beard, not Kliff Kingsbury.

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