All-time program great named new cornerbacks coach for Texas Tech

Darcel McBath, one of the best defensive backs in Texas Tech history, is now the new cornerbacks coach under new defensive coordinator Shiel Wood.

Oct 18, 2007; College Station, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders safety Darcel McBath (7) tackles Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M running back Mike Goodson (3) in the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2007; College Station, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders safety Darcel McBath (7) tackles Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M running back Mike Goodson (3) in the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Texas Tech fans always love to welcome home one of our own. Thus, folks in the Scarlet and Black were happy to see former standout defensive back Darcel McBath return to his alma mater this summer as a defensive analyst following a stint at Mississippi State.

Now, McBath's role has been elevated as he's been named the cornerbacks coach under new head coach Shiel Wood. The move comes days after head coach Joey McGuire named Tulane assistant coach Rob Greene the safeties coach.

"I've been impressed with Coach McBath since his arrival on our staff this past season," McGuire said on the Texas Tech football website. "He has a proven track record of developing several NFL-caliber corners in his career and will be a great asset to our entire defensive staff as we move forward. Coach McBath has a passion for this football program, and we're excited to see him continue to excel in this new position."

This is a position McBath filled in an interim basis for the recent AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Now, he's set to be a full-time on-field coach.

McBath was at Mississippi State from 2020-23 where he coached cornerbacks under his former head coach at Texas Tech, Mike Leach. He also coached under Leach at Washington State from 2018-19.

The Gainesville, Texas native, was a huge part of some of Leach's best teams in Lubbock playing for the Red Raiders from 2004-08. McBath earned All-Big 12 first-team recognition in 2008 after leading the nation with seven interceptions. Of course, that season, the Red Raiders finished 11-2 and climbed as high as No. 2 in the polls following a 10-0 start to the season, including the unforgettable win over No. 1 Texas.

For his career, McBath had 12 picks, which ranks tied for fifth in program history. What's more, he was a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2009. Overall, he would have a five-year career in the NFL.

McBath will have a fresh new crop of corners to work with in 2025. After the Red Raiders struggled mightily at that position this fall, the program has brought in four transfer corners via the portal.

One new Red Raider that McBath is likely familiar with is junior corner Brice Pollock who transferred to Tech from Mississippi State. There, he played for McBath in 2023 as a true freshman.

Other corners that Tech has added via the portal include Dontae Balfour from Charlotte, Amier Boyd-Matthews from UTEP, and Tarrion Grant from Purdue. Hopefully, that influx of talent combined with McBath's coaching acumen will help fix what was the worst pass defense in the Big 12 and one of the worst in the nation this past season.