Media days across any of the major conferences are an optimistic time, spelling the beginning of the upcoming season is near. 2022 was a wild ride for Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. At one point sitting 4-5 on the season, the Red Raiders rallied off four straight wins, with the final two coming against Oklahoma and an Ole Miss team that was ranked in the top 10 in the country.
So how does Tech continue its climb to the top of what many are arguing is the most complete and balanced conference in the country? For McGuire, and more specifically his student-athletes, it starts away from the gridiron.
“This last year has been incredible off the field,” McGuire said in his press conference on stage at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. “We had over 1300 hours of community service. We set back-to-back team records in GPA, team GPA, both semesters going over 3.0. So we’re really proud of the guys.”
With the Red Raiders picked at preseason No. 4 in the Big 12, many in the media are beginning to view Tech as a possible dark horse candidate for the title. Not surprising when considering how the last six seasons a team picked outside of the top two has earned a spot in Arlington.
Returning 18 total starters from the TaxAct Texas Bowl win, there are several of that category that fall on the defensive side of the ball. No one starter will be missed more however, than Tyree Wilson. Wilson was the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Las Vegas Raiders, but McGuire was confident in who’s up next defensively.
“Don’t throw anything at me but I actually think we’re better in that room,” McGuire said of the EDGE group. “Now I would take Tyree Wilson back right now, I’m not crazy. But whenever you talk about depth, Myles Cole had a great last few games once we moved him from inside to outside, he played really well against Ole Miss. He looks a lot body wise like Tyree, really good length there. You have Joseph Adedire that played a bunch of snaps, you have Isaac Smith, Bryce Ramirez will be back, he had such a terrible injury against North Carolina State. Then we were able to add Steve Linton in the portal. We’re really excited about that room.”
The pick for Tech to win the Big 12 is starting to become a popular one from media, local and national fans alike. But with how long it has been since the Red Raiders were even in conversation for the conference championship, there also comes the understanding that this is foreign territory for McGuire’s players.
“I do think it’s a wide open conference,” McGuire said. “I think with us, we have to stay healthy. I know this is coach speak, but we really do have to handle expectation that maybe a lot of guys on our roster have not had before. We’ve got to stay humble. But we’ve got a great opportunity to be a really good football team. I’ll tell you, our expectation is definitely to do that.”
Tech opens its 2023 campaign with a trip to Laramie to face Wyoming on Sept. 2. Until then however, the hype and buzz surrounding the Red Raiders will only continue to grow.
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