McGuire gets first college head coaching spot at Texas Tech

LUBBOCK - With no experience as a college football head coach or coordinator, Joey McGuire appeared to be a long shot to take over at Texas Tech after the dismissal of Matt Wells.

He appeared to be a long shot until the Tech search committee interviewed him, that is.

McGuire, who led Cedar Hill High School to three state championships before joining the staff at Baylor for the past five seasons, on Monday was named the Red Raiders' next head coach.

"We are excited for this new chapter in Texas Tech football under the direction of coach McGuire," Tech Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt said in the hiring announcement. "Our search committee was impressed from the outset not only with his significant ties throughout the state of Texas but his enthusiasm and desire to serve as the head coach at Texas Tech. We are thrilled to be able to welcome Coach McGuire and his wife Debbie to our Red Raider family."

Tech dismissed Wells on Oct. 25, midway through his third season.

McGuire, 51, will join the Tech athletics department immediately and take charge of the team as soon as the season ends, school officials said. He was to be formally introduced in a press conference at noon Tuesday. Fans were invited to attend that event on the club level of the Jones AT&T Stadium west stadium building.

In a statement he posted on social media, McGuire thanked Tech officials for what he called "this tremendous opportunity."

"Having been involved in football in this great state for the last 28 years," he wrote, "I couldn't be more excited to be named the head coach here at Texas Tech. The sport of football is so much about relationships, and I can't wait to build those bonds with our players and all of Red Raider Nation."

Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie will remain interim head coach for the last three regular-season games and a bowl game if the Red Raiders can reach one. Tech is 5-4, 2-4 in the Big 12 with games remaining the next three Saturdays against Iowa State, Oklahoma State and at Baylor.

McGuire has been associate head coach and outside linebackers coach for Baylor, which is 7-2 and ranked No. 18 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday. Tech search committee members interviewed McGuire three times between Thursday and Sunday, a source familiar with the process said.

As head coach at Cedar Hill from 2003 through 2016, McGuire went 141-42 and led the Longhorns to four state-championship games, winning in 2006, 2013 and 2014 and finishing runner-up in 2012. His teams won seven district titles and nine bi-district championships.

McGuire then went to Baylor as a charter member of Matt Rhule's staff, serving as tight ends coach in 2017 and 2018 and as defensive ends coach in 2019.

When Rhule left to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers, McGuire stayed on as a member of Dave Aranda's staff, having served as outside linebackers coach in 2020 and 2021.

He has had the title of associate head coach since 2019.

In three years under Rhule, the Bears went from 1-11 to 7-6 to 11-3 and a Sugar Bowl appearance. They regressed to 2-7 in Aranda's first season last year, but quickly rebounded to become bowl eligible after seven games this year.

McGuire graduated from Crowley High School in 1989 and from UT-Arlington in 1995. He started his career as an assistant at Crowley and Cedar Hill.

McGuire's lack of experience as a college head coach or coordinator makes him a risk to take over a power-five program. Tech will be banking on his people skills - his popularity and connections with Texas high school coaches to improve the Red Raiders' recruiting and his reputation for being a players' coach to help build a successful culture.

"I think Joey's got a great heart, a real fondness for his players and for the team," Aranda said on Monday. "I think he's got the ability to connect with people. And I think his care factor is very strong. I think he's a guy that brings energy and brings a spark and fire to the times when it's needed. Joey is a ball coach, ball coach. Been a fan of his."