With former Mike Leach offensive players and coaches scattering to the four winds, new head coach Tommy Tuberville secured one of the sorcerer's brightest apprentices. Tuberville named former Red Raider quarterback and graduate assistant Sonny Cumbie inside receivers coach, and this appointment should be a coup for both Cumbie and Tuberville.

One of the key facets of this hire is that it cements the ties between offensive coordinator Neal Brown's offense and the Air Raid. Brown himself played for a year under Leach and Hal Mumme at the University of Kentucky and has cultivated an offensive scheme that resembles the Air Raid. Thus, the change from past to present was not going to be dramatic anyway. But be that as it may, Cumbie's presence on the staff will only strengthen the continuity between Leach's offense and Brown's.

Cumbie was a rather cerebral quarterback for Leach. The former walk-on from Snyder sat on the bench for the bulk of his career, but when opportunity knocked during his senior season, he responded impressively. He shocked most observers by winning the starting quarterback berth over JUCO All-American Robert Johnson. And Cumbie's primary edge over Johnson was his superior mastery of the offense.

Cumbie started the season slowly, and was under center when the Red Raiders were humbled by the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque. Nevertheless, Cumbie maintained the stiff upper lip, improved, and burst onto the scene leading the Red Raiders to a 70-35 shellacking of TCU.

Cumbie was also in command when Tech demolished Nebraska 70-10, and he won MVP honors in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, directing the underdog Red Raiders to a 45-31 strumming of the No. 4 California Golden Bears. All in all it was an impressive season by Cumbie.

Cumbie has forgotten nothing about the Tech offense he piloted in 2004, and indeed, has only accrued more knowledge through his graduate assistantship. He will join up with old Leach hands Dennis Simmons and Matt Moore to provide valuable input into Neal Brown's plans for the Red Raider offense. A hybrid of Leach's and Brown's schemes would now seem to be a distinct possibility.

But Cumbie will be valuable for more than just his X's and O's. At 28 years of age, he will be another young coach who should be able to connect with recruits. He is also an extremely personable, articulate man with a considerable amount of presence. The fact that he is at heart a West Texas boy will only add to what Cumbie can accomplish on the recruiting trail. The appointment of Cumbie to Tech's staff should dramatically strengthen Tech's recruiting efforts in Texas and ensure that while many future Red Raiders will hail from SEC country, the local boys will not be forgotten.

In short, the Cumbie hire is the capper on what looks to be an intelligent, innovative and dynamic offensive coaching staff. Brown is one of the foremost up-and-coming offensive wizards in college football, and with a brain-trust of Cumbie, Moore, Simmons, Chad Scott and Tommy Mainord, the Texas Tech legacy of high-explosive offense looks to be in great hands.