Why 2024 is milepost season for Texas Tech football under Joey McGuire

Joey McGuire began to change the fortunes of the Texas Tech football team in his first two years as head coach, leading the Red Raiders to 8-5 and 7-6 records the past two seasons and ending each with a bowl victory.

The Red Raiders finished with a winning record in the Big 12 both seasons, and the last Tech coach to do that more than two years in a row was Spike Dykes, every year from 1991 through 1997.

This season, McGuire will approach another proving ground for any coach early in his tenure: What can he do with his roster; i.e., the group he assembled as opposed to the one he inherited?

Only 16 players on the current roster were on the team in November 2021 when Tech hired McGuire away from Baylor. Among them are 10 players in the two-deep, including starters Behren Morton, Tahj Brooks, Caleb Rogers, Mason Tharp and Jackson Knotts.

Related: How Texas Tech football captains thought outside the box with face-to-face roster review

Related: Showing up in style: Behren Morton dishes on hair, Texas Tech football QB room

“This is, whether it’s been through the transfer portal or through high-school recruiting, this is our roster,” McGuire told reporters Tuesday at a local pre-camp media day, “and we’re excited.”

Tech starts preseason practice Wednesday morning, and opens the season with an Aug. 31 home game against Abilene Christian.

Texas Tech football buzz surrounds new stadium building, adjoining facilities

There’s extra anticipation for this season, because the Red Raiders will debut the new Jones AT&T Stadium south end zone building the night of the first game and will open the new Dustin R. Womble Football Center in late September or October. Tech coaches moved into their offices in the south end zone last week, and the targeted substantial completion date for the Womble Football Center is Sept. 21.

Those two buildings,…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-2024-milepost-season-texas-220559453.html

Author : Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Publish date : 2024-07-30 22:05:59

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