It is now fair to say that Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has a type when it comes to offensive coordinators. He has confirmed that with the new hire he has reportedly made to lead his program on that side of the ball, Mack Leftwich.
It is being reported by numerous media members and outlets (including Pete Thamel of ESPN) on social media that the 30-year-old who served as Texas State's offensive coordinator the past two seasons is going to replace the recently-departed Zach Kittley, who at 33 years old, is now the youngest FBS head coach in America after he took over at Florida Atlantic earlier this week.
Kittley and Leftwich share a number of traits. They are both among the youngest coaches in the country in their respective positions, believe in up-tempo offenses, and are considered fast risers in the coaching industry.
While Kittley is a Texas Tech alum with deep ties to the University, Leftwich is a UTEP product where he played quarterback from 2013-16. He also served as a student assistant in El Paso before coaching in the Texas high school ranks in 2017.
A year later, he began his full-time college coaching career at Incarnate Word as a graduate assistant and then he spent three seasons 2019-21 as the quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. During that time he worked under former Texas Tech player and assistant coach Eric Morris who is now the UNT head coach.
After that, Leftwich moved to Texas State where his stock really began to rise. In his first season with the Bobcats, his offense ranked 15th nationally in total offense by racking up 457.6 yards per game. That year, Texas State also ranked 11th in points per game at 36.7.
2024 saw Leftwich put up even more impressive stats as a coordinator. His offense was No. 6 in total offense (474.3 yards per game) and again No. 11 in scoring (37.1 points per game).
Kinney's hiring is being lauded as a fantastic move by Joey McGuire. However, Leftwich has yet to prove that he can produce results at one of the power conferences.
Of course, the same was said about Kittley when McGuire hired him away from Western Kentucky after the 2021 season and the last three years have seen the Red Raiders put up impressive stats, especially in 2024. So once again, McGuire is going with a young up-and-comer to lead his offense and preserve Texas Tech's high-flying offensive identity. Hopefully, Leftwich's star continues to rise in Lubbock.