The Texas Tech football team had high hopes going into last season, the second under Texas high school coaching legend Joey McGuire, ranked 24th in the Coaches’ Poll.
Nevertheless, the season began with three losses in the first four games, and the Red Raiders found themselves in a challenging position after stumbling starting with a 3-5 record. Yet, Texas Tech managed to become bowl-eligible and win secure a third consecutive bowl game appearance.
“That’s something that’s really important to me,” McGuire told the media during a postgame press conference after the team’s 34-14 Independence Bowl victory over Cal. “When you’re working on building a program and achieving new milestones…You start with that. … It just sets those expectations that that’s who we are, and we have to work for more.”
Last season ended on a positive note, sparking a lot of optimism in the players ahead of McGuire’s third year.
“What we have going right now at this university is really special,” quarterback Behren Morton told the media after the bowl game. “We’ve had a lot of key players come in. The coaching staff’s done a great job. We’re really looking forward to next season and what we can build on.”
Building on the momentum from a bowl win and a 4-1 finish will be vital for the program’s future, but optimism should be tempered, especially since the Red Raiders finished similarly during the 2022-23 season.
Nevertheless, Year Three is often when things start to fall into place for new coaches, as they have now brought in a majority of their players rather than inheriting most of the roster from a previous coach. Through his roster-building methods, McGuire believes his team has developed strong depth from which it can benefit, especially on defense.
“The thing that shows up the most is our depth on defense,” he told reporters after a scrimmage over the weekend. “…We feel like we have quality depth across the board. It’s almost like it doesn’t really matter who’s out there.”
Nine of Tech’s 11 projected starters on defense have been with the program for multiple seasons, and former Nevada starter James Hansen and former Rice defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll are expected to fill the other two spots.
In an uncommon situation for the team over recent seasons, the offense will be where the progress needs to be made the most quickly. The Red Raiders have veteran players on the unit, but seven projected starters are new.
Regrettably, Texas Tech has canceled Saturday’s spring game due to inclement weather, so fans will have to wait until the fall to see any progress.
