Texas Tech football: One candidate the Red Raiders can’t afford to ignore

It’s now been over a week since Matt Wells was fired as Texas Tech football head coach.  And in the days since, fans have thrown about the name of just about any and every living football coach as their preferred replacement.  But while names like Art Briles, Mike Leach, and even Deion Sanders have tons of sizzle associated with them, one name, Joey McGuire, continues to pick up serious steam among the fans and he’s a legitimate option that Kirby Hocutt and the in-house search committee mustn’t ignore.

Currently the associate head coach and linebackers coach at Baylor, the native of Crowley, Texas seems to be a popular choice among the Texas Tech faithful.  In fact, #HireMcGuire has started to pop up on various social media platforms, especially in the wake of UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor going off the market after he signed a 10-year contract extension to stay with the Roadrunners.

Many fans see similarities between McGuire and Traylor.  And that’s all because each had wildly successful careers as high school coaches in the Lone Star State.

While Traylor led Gilmer to three state titles, McGuire did the same for Cedar Hill High School over the course of a 14-year run from 2003-16.  During that time, his teams combined to go 141-42, won state titles in 2006, 2013, and 2014, and played for the state championship in 2012.  That was good enough to earn McGuire induction into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

So just as most assumed that Traylor’s extensive high school background would open doors for him on the recruiting trail, the same assumptions are being made about McGuire.  After all, being thought of highly by the Texas High School Coaches Association is a priority for every college coach in the state and for many outside of Texas.

But McGuire differs from Traylor in two important ways; one that works in his favor and one that works against him.  Working for him is the fact that he’s recruited at the Power 5 level of the sport.  He’s gone head-to-head on the recruiting trail with the likes of Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas, and so on and he has had tremendous success as he’s earned a reputation as one of the Big 12’s top recruiters.  Meanwhile, Traylor has never tried to swim in such deep waters on the recruiting trail and it is fair to wonder if he would have instant success in that regard when going after bigger fish.

On the other hand, Traylor has experience as a college head coach, something that McGuire does not have on his resume.  While McGuire was the interim head coach at Baylor in 2019 after Matt Rhule left for the NFL, he’s never had to lead or build a program and that seems to be a strike against him in the eyes of some.  What’s more, it could be something that the Texas Tech search committee holds against him as they vet their candidates.

But regardless, it is imperative that Hocutt and Co. interview McGuire and do everything they can to make him a part of this program, even if that means trying to lure him to town as the next defensive coordinator on the South Plains.  Of course, Tech will have to find a head coach before any discussion of coordinators can be had and that’s a conversation that McGuire should be in.

In many ways, his career trajectory is reminiscent of that of former Texas Tech head coach Spike Dykes.  Also a long-time high school coaching icon, Dykes had no collegiate head coaching experience when he was tabbed to lead the Red Raiders in 1986 and that decision worked out rather well for the university.

And like Spike, McGuire exudes personality and has that innate ability to make people love him.  That’s why so many people are endorsing him for the Texas Tech opening.

For instance, CBS 11 sports broadcaster Bill Jones recently Tweeted that any college looking for a head coach should consider McGuire.

Meanwhile, legendary Texas Tech football alum, Byron Hanspard, Tweeted out that McGuire is an “authentic player’s coach”.  And he would know a thing or two about McGuire given that his son, Byron Jr. is a corner on the Baylor roster.

But while McGuire has been rumored to be a candidate for both the Texas Tech and the TCU head coaching jobs, there’s been little in the way of credible reports about him receiving interest from Hocutt and the search committee.  That will likely change in the upcoming days (if it hasn’t already) because there is about to be a hot market for the personable and passionate assistant who appears to be on the brink of really making a name for himself in college football.  Here’s hoping he does that in some capacity while wearing the Double T.