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Texas Tech football: Loss to KU brings concerns about program’s future

By Matthew Conner

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - OCTOBER 26: Chux Nwabuko III of the Texas Tech Red Raiders carries the ball as Jeremiah McCullough #12 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends during the game at Memorial Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - OCTOBER 26: Chux Nwabuko III of the Texas Tech Red Raiders carries the ball as Jeremiah McCullough #12 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends during the game at Memorial Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

Does Kirby Hocutt know how to build a winning football program?

In West Texas, Kirby Hocutt’s name is just below those of Bob Wills, Buddy Holly, Spike Dykes, and Abner Euresti on the list for sainthood these days.  But there’s a huge hole in the resume of the man who is among the most highly-regarded athletic directors in the nation.

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It’s hard to comprehend why Hocutt has been unable to hire a successful football coach during his career.  After all, he not only played the sport himself at a high level but he did so for one of the most legendary coaches in the history of the game, Bill Snyder.

But thus far, Hocut is 0-2 on his most important hires.  At Miami, he hired Al Golden in 2011.  In five seasons with the Hurricanes, Hocutt’s first head football coaching hire went just 32-25, which is not an awful record but he was just 17-18 in conference play and he was winless in five games against arch-rival Florida State.

Golden was fired in the middle of the 2015 season following a 58-0 loss to Clemson.  At the time, though, Hocutt was in Lubbock watching his second head coaching hire crash and burn.

Kliff Kingsbury fared even worse at Tech than Golden did at Miami with a 35-40 overall record and a mark of just 19-35 in the Big 12.  But because he was Hocutt’s hire, he made it six full seasons before getting the boot.

In fairness, one must admit that both of Hocutt’s previous two head coaching hires were heavily influenced by administrators, boosters, and others that had significant pull at each program.   Still, both of the men he’s hired to run his football program have been fired for poor performance.

Obviously, Hocutt knows how to hire a successful head coach.  He’s hired Chris Beard and Tim Tadlock, two of the best coaches in the history of the university.  He’s said that Matt Wells reminds him of both.  Of course, that’s likely more press conference fodder than reality.

Some believe that Hocutt’s fate should be tied to Wells’ success.  Given how healthy virtually every other program on campus appears to be, it would be tough to want anyone other than Hocutt leading the way for this athletic department, though, even if Wells proves to be a bust.

Still, until Hocutt proves that he can build a winning program, it’s fair to wonder if he’s ever going get the football program at Tech back to where it was a decade ago.  It goes beyond just hiring a football coach.  He has to be able to raise enough money to improve facilities, make smart and strategic scheduling decisions, put the right people in place around his coaching staff, and put the policies and procedures in place that are going to make the football program as successful as the basketball and baseball programs have been.

That’s much more difficult to do in football for a myriad of reasons that we may discuss at a later point.  But it is what Kirby’s primary focus has to be.  He must show that he can build a winning football program for the first time in his career, something that some fans are concerned he may not be able to do.

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