Opinion: Tech may have found coaching fit

Joey McGuire was only 31. At such a young age, he had never been a head football coach. With Robert Woods resigning as head coach at Cedar Hill High School in suburban Dallas in 2002, McGuire, a Cedar Hill assistant coach, didn't look like he'd be getting one any time soon.

Cedar Hill was 18-43 in the previous six seasons. The general rule is when a program is struggling and changes head coaches, a new hire is brought in, not promoted.

Assistants are looked at as part of the problem, not the solution.

But Cedar Hill Athletic Director Gina Farmer saw how McGuire uniquely related to the players, and how the players responded. It wasn't surprising that a player-led petition, with every returning player adding his signature, was presented to the school administration pushing McGuire for the position.

Even at that age, McGuire could sell manual typewriters to Bill Gates. He floored Farmer and others in his interview. The returnees admired and respected him. Why not? In a bit of a surprise only to those outside the school, McGuire was named head coach. About 100 players showed up for the official announcement.

If McGuire would have bombed that opportunity, he would not be getting a huge new opportunity 20 years later. Even if he had been so-so, he likely would still be a high school head coach somewhere in the metroplex.

That's always been his first love, but it is not his biggest stage. Not now.

McGuire is 10 days away from his first game as head coach at Texas Tech. He will be on the job for nine months and 26 days before the season finally kicks off against Murray State.

It's only his second head coaching job. That first one didn't go badly at all. In 14 years at Cedar Hill, McGuire completely transformed a losing program. The Longhorns were 141-42, winning three Class 6A state championships, the highest classification in the football-crazed state.

No coach, however, is going to make one big jump from head coach in high school to head coach in the Big 12.

New Baylor coach Matt Rhule was a stranger to Texas in 2016. He wanted a high school coach on staff who was held in high regard in the state.

He chose McGuire, and the two became and still are extremely close. For two years, McGuire was tight ends coach and then promoted to associate head coach also in charge of defensive ends.

When Dave Aranda took over for Rhule in 2020, he retained McGuire, leaving him as associate head coach, but now coaching outside linebackers. Two different coaches who won Big 12 titles saw the same thing Cedar Hill players saw in 2002. There is just something about the guy.

Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt saw the same thing. Forty-five minutes into his interview with McGuire last November, there was a break and McGuire left the room. Hocutt turned to the other two on the selection committee and said what they were thinking, "I believe we have our guy."

On Nov. 8, McGuire was introduced as Texas Tech's 17th head coach in what was almost as much a pep rally as press conference. After he was introduced, it took McGuire all of 15 seconds to lead those in attendance in Tech's signature "Raider Power" chant.

"Man, I've been waiting all my life to do that," he said.

So much of college coaching is about fit, and Tech has been wandering in the wilderness since Mike Leach was fired in 2009. Tommy Tuberville was a Southern-fried flim-flam man. Kliff Kingsbury was too young, disliked recruiting and not cut out for the college game. Matt Wells came from Utah State. He did some good things, but was over his head a bit and out of his element a lot.

It's all added up to a 71-77 record the last 12 seasons. Telling, the Red Raiders have not had a winning Big 12 record since Leach's last season in 2009.

McGuire has done everything but sleep since he was hired. He inherited a 2022 recruiting class wallowing around No. 80 in the country and elevated that to the No. 39 class in three months. His current 2023 class is No. 16.

He has united a fractured and hungry fan base. He set a school record for most times posing for pictures.

Squint a little bit and you can see Dabo Swinney Lite. No, the summer heat has not affected me. I'm not saying Tech is turning into Clemson, but what I am saying is the personality and career arc similar for McGuire and the Clemson coach.

Swinney had never been a head coach when he was promoted from wide receivers coach to interim head coach at Clemson in 2008. He won over the players and administration and got the full-time gig after the season.

Swinney is 52, McGuire is 51. Like Swinney, McGuire has the fire of a revival preacher. Like Swinney, McGuire has surrounded himself with a quality staff and lets them work while content to be the face of the program.

Clemson is 150-36 and won two national titles under Swinney. Tech fans right now just want eight or nine wins and a decent bowl game. Like Cedar Hill High School 20 years ago, they believe they finally have the one to get them there.

Jon Mark Beilue is a 1981 graduate of Texas Tech. He has been writing about Red Raiders sports for five decades.