Texas Tech’s McGuire remains energetic, confident in his Red Raiders
Texas Tech head football coach Joey McGuire brought the same energy to Big 12 Media Days July 14 that he had when he visited the Rudy Davalos Horseshoe Bay Sports Club weeks earlier.
McGuire appeared before the Big 12 press corps and exhibited why alumni, boosters and fans are investing $200 million in the football facility, a project that is expected to begin after the Red Raiders’ final regular season game in 2022, which is against Oklahoma Nov. 26.
“I thought I knew our alumni base,” he said. “This alumni and fan base is incredible. It shows how serious we are. It’ll be one of the most unique facilities. I believe it’ll be the best facility in the country. We’re going to knock it down and start building after the OU game.”
McGuire didn’t reveal the results of the quarterback competition, only noting he feels confident in the players’ abilities to get the job done. But he did share his belief in new offensive coordinator Zach Kittley.
“Zach Kittley is an up-and-comer at offensive coordinator,” he said. “This is who we are. The best thing about Zach is he said, ‘Coach you show me the roster, we’ll figure out our best 11 and that’s who we’re going to be.’ It’s getting our best players on the field and that’s who we’re going to be.”
He also noted the Red Raiders have other weapons around the quarterback. And as a defensive-minded coach, he expressed equal confidence in the defense.
“I think we’re going to play good defense,” he said. “I’m excited. Our defense is an old defense. Those are the bright spots. We’ll have a chance to be good on defense.”
The head coach confirmed what high school coaches have said about McGuire’s ability to recruit where his reputation among his high school counterparts is apparent and his commitment to signing West Texas players is a high priority. He added that numerous coaches on his staff are responsible for recruiting the panhandle and the surrounding states.
“We have seven commits from west Texas,” he said. “We recruit west Texas like it’s its own state. We want to make sure we have a great brand in this state.”
McGuire reasserted his commitment to pleasing the Red Raider fans and alumni with the athletes’ and coaches’ efforts to play well.
“We’re the toughest, most hardest-working team,” he said. “You’ll be proud. We call it Raider speed and violence.”
McGuire is truly living out a dream, he said.
“I always wanted to be a head coach since I started in 1994,” he said. “To have a team and try to lead these guys. the opportunity at Texas Tech — it’s been a blessing. It’s really cool to wake up everyday and think about how do I make these guys better. Energy is a choice. We don’t have bad days, we have bad moments. If you can get past the bad moments, you can have good days.”
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