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Texas Tech: Ranking Kirby Hocutt’s coaching hires in Lubbock

By Andrew Gleinser

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 11 : Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is congratulated by Texas Tech Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt after the game between the Baylor Bears and the Texas Tech Red Raiders on November 11, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 38-24. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 11 : Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is congratulated by Texas Tech Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt after the game between the Baylor Bears and the Texas Tech Red Raiders on November 11, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 38-24. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 17: Head coach Tubby Smith of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts in the second half while taking on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 17: Head coach Tubby Smith of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts in the second half while taking on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

The Good

5. Kliff Kingsbury – Football

Some may not have put Kingsbury this high, and I can understand why. He went just 35-40 overall in six seasons, including 19-35 in Big 12 play. After winning eight games in his first season, which was capped off with a bowl win, the former Texas Tech quarterback never matched that win total again, nor would he win another bowl game.

But I still maintain that Kingsbury was the right hire at the time. He helped unite a fan base that had been fractured since the Mike Leach ouster and helped generate a buzz the program had lost during the aimless Tommy Tuberville years. His teams frequently seemed so close to turning a corner, but they just never got over the hump. Still, the offense was exciting and we had Patrick Mahomes. That should count for something.

4. Tony Graystone – Volleyball

This isn’t the easiest hire to grade. Graystone came aboard in Jan. 2016, and after going winless in conference play in his first season, his teams showed modest improvement through 2019, though they took a step back in the most recent season. Their best finish was a 7-9 Big 12 mark in 2019, and it’s hard to hold a 2020 season against anyone considering the pandemic.

But here’s the thing — the Texas Tech volleyball program has historically been a doormat. Those seven Big 12 wins in 2019 are the most this program has ever had, and their three straight seasons with an overall winning record from 2017-2019 is a first. So considering what he inherited, Graystone seems to have done pretty well.

3. Tubby Smith – Men’s Basketball

Fan opinion may be a little bit mixed on Smith, in part due to the manner of his exit from Lubbock after three seasons. I certainly didn’t appreciate that, and his overall record (46-50) wasn’t exciting, but look at where this program was. Following the disastrous Gillispie era and a 2012-13 season under an interim coach, Smith brought much-needed stability.

That stability resulted in the 2015-16 team reaching the program’s first NCAA tournament in nine years, and it laid the groundwork for the wild success Chris Beard would have in the ensuing seasons. Smith took this program from the basement and brought it back to respectability, and that meant a lot.

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