Texas Tech's Joey McGuire is a coach on the rise
Has Joey McGuire taken the college football world by storm in the last two years? Of course not. But he is proving to be the best coach the Red Raiders have had since Leach and that's another reason to buy in.
Sure, some who don't follow the program on a daily basis might point to his 15-11 overall record as being nothing more than mediocre. However, there are layers to that onion.
First of all, McGuire has had to endure substantial QB injury trials in each year at Tech. In fact, he's had to start three different QBs in both of his seasons in charge.
Not many coaches would be able to post back-to-back winning seasons having to navigate such turbulence at the game's most important position. McGuire has, though.
It is the first time since Leach in 2000-01 that Tech has had a coach post winning records in each of his first two seasons on the job. What's more, McGuire has posted winning Big 12 records in each of the last two years, something that the program had not done since 2009.
Sure, McGuire can be frustrating with his in-game gambles. He also hasn't won big yet as a Red Raider.
However, he's already shown more in the way of being a quality coach than his three predecessors ever did. Though that's a low bar to clear, it is a reason to think that this program is going to take a step forward in 2024.