Texas Tech pulled the plug on the Matt Wells era on Monday, electing to not wait until the end of the regular season to make a change. Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie has been named the interim head coach.
Red Raiders AD Kirby Hocutt made the move following the team’s 25-24 loss to Kansas State on Saturday, a game in which they blew multiple big leads. The school will owe Wells about $7 million on the remainder of his contract.
Wells had success at Utah State, but he was a surprise hire for the Texas school that had a strong run of success under Mike Leach. In Wells’ first season, the Red Raiders finished 4-8 (2-7 in the Big 12), and they were 4-6 overall (3-6 in conference) last year. Tech is 5-3 this fall, but the team is just 13-17 since Wells was hired to replace Kliff Kingsbury after the 2018 season.
The Red Raiders have four games remaining—all against ranked teams: Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. Cumbie will have a tough path the rest of the way, but he still has a chance to get the Red Raiders eligible for the postseason—and perhaps remain a permanent candidate, though he has never been an FBS head coach.
Who could Hocutt be looking at to fill this void long term? Here are some possible candidates for this Big 12 gig:
SMU head coach Sonny Dykes: The Mustangs are unbeaten and once again in the Top 25 (he has had them ranked in each of the past three seasons), and his connection to Texas Tech has long been noted. His father, Spike Dykes, was the head coach in Lubbock from 1986 to ‘99, and Sonny spent time in Lubbock as an assistant from 2000-06. He went 22-15 as head coach at Louisiana Tech, which helped him land the Cal job in 2013. He only went 19-30 with the Golden Bears, but the program did improve on his watch. Since then he has gone 29-14 at SMU, where he seems more comfortable in his Texas roots. He is the ideal candidate.
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor: The Roadrunners are 8-0 and in the Top 25, and it is just Traylor’s second season at the helm of the Conference USA program. The Roadrunners went 7-5 in his debut campaign, and he has been an assistant at Texas, SMU and Arkansas before getting his current gig. The 53-year-old former Gilmer High head coach had three state championship-winning seasons during his 15 years at that level, compiling a 175-26 overall mark, and he’d be another great fit in this role.
Former Baylor head coach Art Briles: There are plenty of Texas Tech boosters who would love Hocutt to bring in the much maligned former Baylor boss. He is a Tech alum who had a very successful run at a school that had been a pushover forever—the Bears won at least 10 games four times under Briles. But the baggage is just too much to overcome in my opinion.
Arkansas OC Kendal Briles: Hocutt can also hire a Briles not named Art. Son Kendal has previous Big 12 experience as his father’s longtime assistant. He then became offensive coordinator at FAU, Houston and Florida State before arriving at Arkansas under Sam Pittman. He has no previous head-coaching experience at this level, though, so he’d be a longshot. But the 38-year-old has the Razorbacks offense ranked 18th in the FBS in total offense and 34th in scoring offense.
Ole Miss OC Jeff Lebby: This is another assistant who has not been an FBS head coach, but he will be sooner than later. The Texas native played at Oklahoma and was an assistant at Baylor and UCF before joining Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss last year. He has been a key part in developing the Rebels’ high-octane offense. It would be VERY surprising if Hocutt went with someone who doesn’t have head-coaching experience, but he may look at high-rising assistants nonetheless.
Incarnate Word head coach Eric Morris: The former Red Raiders receiver is an Air Raid disciple, of course, who served as OC under Kingsbury. Morris is now the top man at Incarnate Word, a small San Antonio-based FCS school. Since 2018, he has compiled a 19-16 record, including 5-1 this season with an offense led by QB Cameron Ward. This could be a reach, but Morris knows this program—and the long-time beloved offense—very well.
In addition to Texas Tech, five other FBS programs are searching for replacements at the head-coaching position: UConn, Georgia Southern, LSU, USC and Washington State.
Follow me on Twitter @Miller_Dave & email me at david.matthew.miller@gmail.com
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