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Opinion: Texas Tech makes right call to keep Matt Wells, fire Yost

By Andrew Gleinser

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Running back Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 and head coach Matt Wells of Texas Tech stand in the tunnel before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Running back Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 and head coach Matt Wells of Texas Tech stand in the tunnel before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Texas Tech made the right call to keep head coach Matt Wells and fire offensive coordinator David Yost.

After more than a week of wild speculation and fans waiting with bated breath, Texas Tech finally made a decision about the future of the football program. Head coach Matt Wells will remain in his current position, but offensive coordinator David Yost has been relieved of his duties. Despite what many fans think of Wells, this was the right call.

Getting rid of Yost was a no-brainer. This was the worst offensive season for this program in 20 years, and it wasn’t due to a rash of injuries. There’s plenty of talent on the roster, but the play calling was abysmal and the quarterbacks continued to struggle. After repeatedly failing to move the ball and score points, a change was definitely needed.

Wells is 8-14 in his two years at Texas Tech and was never a popular hire to begin with, so he hasn’t won over too many of the fans. But the defense has noticeably improved under coordinator Keith Patterson, and as I said previously, it’s hard to judge a guy after only two seasons when the second season is played in the midst of a pandemic and without the benefit of spring practices.

The 2021 season will definitely be a make or break one for Wells. If he can’t at least post a winning record with a bowl appearance, AD Kirby Hocutt will have no choice but to move on. But plenty of players are returning, including stud linebackers Colin Schooler and Riko Jeffers, so there are pieces in place for a turnaround.

What’s the Alternative?

Let’s say Hocutt listened to the angry fans and fired Wells. What would the next move be? Obviously many of those fans would be clamoring for USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to be the new coach, but he doesn’t have a great deal of coaching experience and has never been a head coach. I’d be worried about that being Kliff Kingsbury 2.0.

Hocutt could’ve gone after an established coach like the recently-fired Gus Malzahn, but it didn’t work out so well the last time Texas Tech hired a former Auburn coach (see: Tuberville, Tommy). Aside from that, Malzahn’s offense lost a lot of its luster over the past few years so I wouldn’t be confident that he’d suddenly be rejuvenated by coming to Lubbock.

The Art Briles circus was never going to happen, and another retread like Kevin Sumlin wouldn’t be worth it. Maybe Hocutt could try and snag another up and coming coach, but he’d be competing with other Power Five programs like Auburn, Arizona and Vanderbilt. Rather than pay Wells’ buyout and bring in someone who’s far from a sure thing, give your handpicked coach a third year to get things right.

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Critical Choice

Hocutt made it clear that it will be Wells’ decision as to who the next offensive coordinator will be, so this is going to be the biggest decision of the coach’s time in Lubbock. The crown jewel of the recruiting class, quarterback Behren Morton, announced that he’s taking time to consider his options following Yost’s removal, so Wells absolutely has to make the right hire.

The right offensive coordinator will get Morton to solidify his commitment to Texas Tech and thereby keep most, if not all, of the recruiting class intact. This new coach will hopefully get much more out of Alan Bowman than Yost ever did, but Morton is the future. This program needs him and everything he brings with him.

As far as who that coach will be, I recently made a list of 10 possibilities. Harrell is highly unlikely to come back to Lubbock to be the offensive coordinator, so the two candidates I would be most excited about are SMU OC Garrett Riley and former HBU OC Zach Kittley. The fact that Kittley just took the OC job at Western Kentucky might complicate things but wouldn’t preclude him from coming to Tech if Wells really wants him.

Given that it’s Wells’ decision, also keep an eye out on San Jose State OC Kevin McGiven, who has a history with Wells. That would still be a solid hire, but wouldn’t excite the fans nearly as much as Riley or Kittley would. But I’d keep an eye on those three names and hope for a quick resolution here, as Texas Tech needs to put the staff rumors to rest and move forward to 2021.

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