Inside Joey McGuire’s calculated program build

One of the 2025 college football season’s major storylines has been Texas Tech‘s rise to the upper tier. The West Texas program made headlines throughout the year, positioning itself as a power player in the NIL and revenue‑sharing world. The Red Raiders dominated Big 12 play and earned a first‑round bye in the College Football Playoff.

When the Red Raiders take the field on New Year’s Day in the Orange Bowl against Oregon, an experiment four years in the making will play out on the big stage. There has been plenty written this year about Texas Tech’s “Maverick” super donor Cody Campbell, its swashbuckling general manager James Blanchard and fiery head coach Joey McGuire, along with a roster filled with high‑priced talent.

How did the Red Raiders get here?

It has been an intentional build since McGuire was hired Nov. 8, 2021, to save a program that was floundering in West Texas. Having resources is one thing, but executing the plan is another. The current Texas Tech team is an intricate puzzle put together over the span of a presidential term, and every piece matters.