Texas Tech Football: Can big money bring the Red Raiders to prominence?
By John Scimeca
Texas Tech football has made two splashy headlines this past week during a normally quiet stretch of late July. A private group of Red Raider donors called the Matador Club just announced it will pay 100 players each $25,000 per year as part of a new name, image, and likeness deal that’s now allowed by the NCAA, a figure that includes all 85 scholarship players and 15 walk-ons.
A few days earlier, the university unveiled plans for a $200 million addition to Jones AT&T Stadium that will be completed by the 2024 season. The addition includes a four-story building with locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and a club level on the field.
Financial support for Texas Tech football has made headlines this past week, but can the Red Raiders now translate that to on-field success?
The financial support for the Big 12 member in Lubbock, Texas is clearly there — even if the on-field results have been pretty bare in the past decade.
The Red Raiders’ 7-6 finish last year marked the program’s first winning record since 2015.
The 2021 football season ended in a special way for the Red Raiders, with the squad picking up a 34-7 win in the Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State. Those SEC foes were coached by Mike Leach, who previously was the head coach in Lubbock from 2000 to 2009.
During those 10 seasons, Leach was the architect of an Air Raid offense that produced big-time numbers behind some hefty quarterback play from guys like Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, and B.J. Symons. In fact, a Leach-coached Texas Tech quarterback owns five of the NCAA’s Top 30 best all-time seasons in terms of single-season passing yards.
The program had a swagger, too, that emanated from Leach. His quirky sense of humor set the tone for the tortilla tossing crowds in Lubbock, and he compiled an 84-43 record overall. His 2008 Red Raiders squad reached the No. 2 ranking in the nation en route to an 11-2 finish while averaging 42.2 points per game.
The success left with the enigmatic coach, though, after his controversial departure regarding the treatment of former player Adam James.
The last time Texas Tech won more than eight games in a season was Leach’s final year, in 2009, when the Red Raiders finished with a 9-4 record. With the No. 21 ranking, it was also the team’s last time to finish the year in the AP Top 25.
Since 2010, the team’s first without Leach, Texas Tech has gone 36-71 in conference play, the second-worst mark in the Big 12 ahead of only Kansas (7-99).
The two recent announcements, however, indicate a groundswell of support for a team that has one winning record in the past six seasons.
They reflect a growing confidence in the Red Raiders’ position as a Big 12 member. There was some nervousness about the future of the Big 12 last summer after the announced departures of Texas and OU to the SEC, but the league has stabilized with the impending additions of BYU, Central Florida, Houston, and last year’s CFP finalist Cincinnati.
The moves also show support for Texas Tech’s new head coach, Joey McGuire, who was a part of a successful Baylor program as associate head coach after several state titles leading Cedar Hill High School (TX) from 2003-2016.
It will be interesting to see how other Big 12 competitors respond to the moves announced in Lubbock this past week, too.
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The dollars are there for Texas Tech, and now it’s time for the Red Raiders to prove that they’re worth it after more than a decade of futility.