Texas Tech football: Adding ex Texas DC Todd Orlando great sign for the program

Wednesday, the Texas Tech football program added former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando to Matt Wells’ coaching staff, a great move for a program that has a history of being cheap when it comes to assistants.

Often, fans underestimate the importance of the assistants working in support of the head coach.  That is especially true once you get past the level of the coordinators.  However, keen Texas Tech football fans know that for quite some time, our program has tried to cut corners and pay on the cheap to round out the staff.

That’s why Wednesday’s news that Matt Wells has added former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando to his coaching staff is significant.  Stepping into a role as assistant head coach and linebackers coach after three years running the defense in Austin, the highly-respected coach is an upgrade for the Red Raider coaching staff.

He will take the place of 2019 safeties coach Kerry Cooks, who will not return to the program.  Known more for his recruiting prowess than his coaching, Cooks spent just one year in Lubbock where he coached a group of safeties that struggled mightily as part of a defense that finished just 128th nationally in passing yards allowed.

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Now, defensive coordinator Keith Patterson will assume the role of coaching the secondary (according to TexasTech.com) after coaching the linebackers this season.

"“We are thrilled to bring a coach with Todd’s credentials into our program,” Wells said. “He is one of the top defensive minds in football, and I know he will help us continue to build a strong culture within our program. We’re looking forward to welcoming Todd, his wife Amy and their family to Lubbock.”"

The Texas Tech head coach and his newest assistant have a working relationship that dates back to Wells’ tenure at Utah State.  In 2013-14, Orlando coordinated the Utah State defense in the first two years of Wells’ run as head coach at his alma mater.

In 2013, his defense allowed just 17.1 points per game (7th-fewest in the nation) and the next year, his defense gave up 19.7 p.p.g. (12th-fewest overall).  He then moved to Houston where he was tabbed as defensive coordinator to replace David Gibbs, who left the Cougars for the same role at Texas Tech under Kliff Kingsbury.  After spending the 2015-16 seasons under Tom Herman in the Bayou City, Orlando followed Herman to Austin where the two teamed up from 2017-19.

But this season, the Longhorns struggled mightily on that side of the ball.  Orlando’s defense surrendered 446.3 yards and 28.9 points per game in 2019 and in Big 12 play, those numbers jumped to 455.9 yards and 30.6 points per game.  The only teams to give up more points per game in the Big 12 than Texas this season were Texas Tech and Kansas.

It was quite the regression from 2018 when UT ranked No. 3 in the Big 12 in total defense and No. 57th nationally in points allowed.  That’s one reason why expectations were inflated this year down on the 40 Acres.

But after a disappointing 7-5 regular season, Herman fired Orlando and reassigned offensive coordinator Tim Beck in the classic move or shuffling the coordinator deck to relieve pressure on the head that wears the main headset.  Now, UT’s trash could be Texas Tech’s treasure.

It is hard to remember a time when the Red Raiders had a coach with Orlando’s pedigree as a position coach.  Though his 2019 season was a bit of a letdown, he has been one of the game’s better defensive minds and a highly-coveted coordinator which illustrates just how strong of a an asset he could be.

What’s more, he arrives already having established a bevy of recruiting ties in Texas which is something that the Red Raiders certainly hope to benefit from.  After all, that was the primary reason the program brought Cooks aboard after he was let go by Oklahoma last offseason.

Of course, Orlando’s presence is also likely to cause some debate in the fan base as to whether he or Patterson should be calling the Red Raider defense.  In fact, it isn’t hard to imagine that as soon as Tech has a poor defensive showing or two in 2020, the cries for Patterson to be replaced by Orlando will begin.

That’s certainly not what Wells envisions and though I have been an outspoken critic of Patterson after his defense was abused this fall en route to finishing 127th nationally in total defense by giving up over 480 yards per game, I won’t be one of those people who starts banging the drum for an Orlando takeover in the middle of the season.

Still, it isn’t hard to imagine that the news Texas Tech assistant, one who Wells speaks so highly of and refers to as a friend, could be elevated to coordinator in 2021 if Patterson can’t show significant improvement in year two.

The importance here is to understand that this is a noticeable step up in the Texas Tech football program’s willingness to surround its head coach with the best possible staff.  Though we do not know at the moment what Orlando’s salary will be, we can be certain that he is going to warrant greater compensation than most of the position coaches this program has brought in over the last decade.

While it is being reported that UT’s contractual obligation to Orlando will continue to the point that it will mitigate any difference in his salary this year and what he was earning in Austin, it remains encouraging to know that the Red Raiders are willing to take the type of steps to improve their defensive coaching staff that they have been unwilling or incapable of doing for too long.