Texas Tech Spring football is already underway in 2025. Much like the rest of college football, the Spring calendar is morphing. Coaches are trying to figure out what works best for their program. Plenty of teams have canceled Spring games. For head coach Joey McGuire, he has spread the practices out over two months. The first practice occurred on March 10th with the Spring game not being played until April 19th. That spreadout calendar was in place before the unexpectedly early start to Spring Break. This was thanks to green flames exploding through manhole covers on campus (fortunately, no one was injured). But there are some key storylines to pay attention to over the next two months in Lubbock.

Offensive Backfield Situation

The biggest replacement the Red Raiders are making for the 2025 season is the loss of career-rushing leader Tahj Brooks. The competition for RB1 will be fierce. None of the potential candidates to replace Brooks starts with a leg-up on the competition. Some of the names in the mix will be J’Koby Williams, transfer from USC Quinten Joyner, Cameron Dickey, and Cam’Ron Valdez. Does competition among four players produce a clear number one? Or does this group transform the rushing attack into a committee approach?

The other position with plenty of eyes on it for Texas Tech Spring football is the health of quarterback Behren Morton. His shoulder issues have lingered now for two full seasons. In 2023, he played the final nine games with a grade-3 sprain to the AC joint. He was shut down six practices into Spring practice last year. No surgery was recommended after consultation with the team medical staff and two orthopedic surgeons. Morton did start every game in 2024. However, he had surgery on the same shoulder at the end of the regular season. Morton said his shoulder wasn’t an issue last season and the surgery was elective. He will spend all of Spring ball rehabbing the injury. Morton’s health is paramount in 2025 if Texas Tech wants to make the jump to Big 12 contender. Expect Will Hammond to take the QB1 reps in practice this Spring.

Trench Play On Both Sides Of The Ball

Texas Tech Spring football has begun with a different national spotlight on this program. Thanks to securing one of the best transfer portal classes in the nation, some extra eyes on this team normally would be paying attention elsewhere. The most notable additions to this team came in the way of big guys on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Offensively, this team is returning six veteran starters. Expect plenty of competition for those starters to hold those spots as this team brought in tackle Howard Sampson from North Carolina, tackle Will Jados from Miami (Ohio), and tackle Hunter Zambrano from Illinois State.

Defensively, the transfers brought will be the key players in improving a porous Red Raider defense. Lee Hunter (UCF) was a second-team All-Big 12 member in 2024. Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois) was a third-team All-MAC selection last year, Anthony Holmes Jr. (Houston) is another in-conference transfer after starting all 12 games for Houston in 2024, and three-time transfer Romello Height is most recently coming from Georgia Tech where he started 12 games for the Yellow Jackets last season. All of these highly productive players are poised to help raise the floor of the defense.

Texas Tech Spring Football Debut Of New Coordinators

At the end of the 2024 season, McGuire faced his biggest challenge yet as the head man for the Red Raiders. He had to replace both his offensive and defensive coordinators as Zach Kittley took the head coaching job at FAU and Tim DeRuyter was fired for having one of the worst defenses in football. McGuire brought in Mack Leftwich from Texas State to take over the offense while the Red Raiders swooped in fellow Big 12 coordinator Shiel Wood from Houston.

Leftwich was hired following two seasons at Texas State where he developed some of the country’s best offenses. The Bobcats led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked in the top 15 nationally for total offense and scoring during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His number one job will be getting chemistry developed upfront and installing his system.

Meanwhile, Wood, who is now at his eight new schools in the last nine seasons, has the biggest challenge between the two coordinators. But his reputation alone has many fired up for an improving defense. Houston had a top-50-ranked defense in 2024 when the offense was abysmal. Replacing a defense that ranked around 130th in all major categories with a top-50 defense (assuming no drop-off by the offense) is good for anywhere between a two or three-game win improvement. It certainly would have made the difference in Texas Tech playing for a Big 12 title last season.

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With 171 days until Big 12 teams officially kick off the 2025 season, the best forward look college fans can use right now is what Vegas gives out. The 2025 Big 12 win totals have officially posted on FanDuel and Last Word has some thoughts. If anyone is new to the Big 12, here is the obligatory disclaimer. This league is wildly competitive and unpredictable. Again, for those who ignored the Big 12 in 2024 after Texas and Oklahoma left, Arizona State won the league after being picked to finish dead last in the pre-season. The professional efforts of Last Word to correctly pick the right side of the 2024 pre-season totals resulted in an ugly 6-10 outcome. But just like the best teams, Last Word studied the film and has some initial thoughts for those looking to capitalize on the early market.

2025 Big 12 Win Totals Show Small Gap From Top/Bottom Of League

It is worth repeating that the competitiveness of this league is unmatched. The talent gap between these teams is razor-thin. Going into the last weekend of the season, almost half of the league was still mathematically alive to play in the Big 12 championship. The anticipation by all is that 2025 will offer more of the same. Not a single team has a win total set higher than 8.5 wins. Conversely, the 2025 Big 12 win totals do not drop that drastically with the lowest number set at 5.5 wins. According to the folks in the desert, Arizona State, Kansas State, and Texas Tech are the early favorites to win the Big 12. Those are the only three teams with win totals set at the high mark of 8.5. Kenny Dillingham will need to replace Cam Skattebo. Chris Klieman is hoping to get another jump in the passing development of Avery Johnson. Joey McGuire brought in one of the top transfer classes in the nation and must get the most out of this influx of talent in Lubbock.

Meanwhile, Arizona, Houston, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia comprise the three teams with win totals at the 5.5 win mark. Brent Brennan has Noah Fifita back at quarterback, but it feels like his seat is already pretty warm in only his second season. Willie Fritz’s team is looking to make a big jump in his second season down in Houston. Mike Gundy’s Cowboy team is looking to bounce back after the worst season in 20 seasons. Rich Rodriquez is back in Morgantown for his second stint and trying to rekindle the magic he found during the early 2000s.

Worst Value

The worst value here is all relative. Anytime one’s hard-earned money is attached to a bet and it wins, it is always a good day. But what we are doing here is trying to highlight some of the options that might not be worth the squeeze. This is a combination of expectations for the team and how drastically different it is from what Vegas believes. With the wide variety of outcomes, there is plenty of high value to be had in this league. After all only three of the 16 teams have negative odds to clear the win total. We will dive into that more shortly.

But in terms of the “worst value” of all the 2025 Big 12 win totals, that nod goes to Houston. The Cougars went 4-8 in 2024. Fritz’s reputation, as well as signs from the end of last season, suggest that this team should be a bowl-bound team. Increasing their win total by just two games appears to be a fairly easy hurdle to clear. Vegas agrees setting their odds at -170, meaning one would need to be $17 to win $10. These are the worst odds set of all the 2025 Big 12 win totals. So if we want our money to go further, where does our attention need to go?

Fools Gold?

With plus odds for 13 different teams, there is value abound for all parties. Plus odds mean that a $10 bet will return over $10 in value. For those feeling very optimistic about their favorite Big 12 team, odds say they have a chance to make a good return on their money. But who holds the best value in March? The first look suggests it might be Dave Aranda’s Baylor squad. Baylor was left for dead mid-way through 2024 before rattling off six straight wins to finish the regular season at 8-4. The Bears are currently +110 to clear 7.5 wins. The initial assessment of this team is that the important contributors are back and that Aranda figured it out, so no need to think they can win eight games again. However, Aranda has been far from consistent in Waco. Until 2024, Aranda had only won a combined 11 games in the three seasons when he wasn’t playing for a Big 12 title. The Bears also haven’t won 8+ games in consecutive seasons since 2014 and 2015.

Possibly the most consistent team in the Big 12 over the last decade has been the Kansas State Wildcats. They are always competitive and find themselves near the top of the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats are +128 to clear 8.5 wins. With a potential Heisman candidate at quarterback, it appears like something to take to the bank. But while consistency hasn’t been an issue in Manhattan, getting above the eight-win mark has. They have only won nine regular-season games two times in the last 12 seasons.

Best Value

With win totals in general, the best value is always to look at the teams with the lowest bar to clear. We already mentioned how Houston didn’t have good value because of the poor odds Vegas was offering. Arizona hasn’t done anything to inspire any confidence. The variability for a year-one head coach is all over the map, so West Virginia is out. That leaves with the obvious choice of Oklahoma State. Gundy did not make any massive sweeping changes to his coaching staff. He also did not revamp his roster through the transfer portal.

But at +152, this is too good to pass up on. The Pokes have not won less than six games in back-to-back seasons since 2000 and 2001. Gundy has only missed bowl season in his first season back in 2005 and in 2024. His coaching career is littered with examples of having his best seasons when the expectations are the lowest. A 2-1 mark in non-conference play is all but guaranteed with their schedule. So they need to find four wins in a nine-game Big 12 slate in which only four of their opponents have a current win total of 7.5 wins or higher. Go lock up the Cowboys before Vegas notices.

Main Image: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

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Most recently, we looked at how the Mountaineers have been remaking their offense after bringing back Head Coach Rich Rodriguez this offseason. Rodriguez soon made a big splash in the assistant coaching ranks by poaching new defensive coordinator Zac Alley from Oklahoma. With Alley now at the helm, the Mountaineers are trying to shed the poor performance of the last two years as West Virginia overhauls its defense.

West Virginia Overhauls Its Defense

When we look at how West Virginia overhauls its defense this offseason, we must begin with Alley. Rodriguez focused a lot of attention on bringing in the best defensive coordinator he could afford. Alley has a high price tag, but that affords the Mountaineers a gifted young coordinator from the Brent Venables tree.

Philosophically, Alley looks to create chaos to dial up negative plays and turnovers. To do so, he relies on fundamentally sound cornerbacks so that he can mask pressure elsewhere and overwhelm opposing offensive lines. Several positions across the defense, including his box safety and bandit, require broad skill sets. He also expects his defensive ends to fall back into coverage to mask designed pressure from the linebackers and safeties. Alley has rotated between the 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 base schemes, creating a need for athletes who can work in multiple positions.

To make all of this work, Alley focuses heavily on fast, physical, and aggressive playmakers on defense. Fans will welcome the revamped look and philosophy of the defense. Last season, the Mountaineers averaged just five tackles for loss per game and forced less than a turnover per game. Predictably, they finished 110th among FBS teams in points per game surrendered. In 2020 and 2021, when they averaged more than seven tackles for loss per game and greater than a turnover per game, the units fared much better. Fans can expect Alley’s defense to produce similar to the 2020 and 2021 units than the ones from the last three years.

Looking at the Defensive Line

While West Virginia overhauls its defense, we look at the defensive line. Regardless of whether Alley employs a four-down or three-down front in Morgantown, he certainly needs plenty of bodies on the line to rotate. This position group returns the most production from 2024, probably with good reason. While the unit underperformed against preseason expectations, it offered the Mountaineers their most consistent play on defense last season.

The unit’s anchor, Sean Martin, graduated, and he will be tough to replace. While the unit lost a few other bodies, none loom nearly as large as Martin. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Mountaineers only brought in one transfer across the traditional defensive line. They did bring in some edge-rushing linebackers who may play end from time to time, and we will discuss that soon. Instead of focusing on the portal, West Virginia brought in six new players from the high school and junior college ranks.

Returning players like Hammond Russell, Asani Redwood, and Edward Vesterinen will be counted on to take a few steps forward. Some younger players like Makai Byerson, Elijah Kinsler, Taylor Brown, and Nate Gabriel will be counted on heavily.

Let’s Talk Linebacker

Linebacker is an interesting position group under Alley, and it may take some time for us to understand how Alley will utilize this group here. Despite losing talented players in Trey Lathan and Jeremiah Trotter, the Mountaineers concentrated a lot of their efforts through the transfer portal in this room. Indeed, based on the additions, the group may prove more talented in 2025 than last season.

The additions begin with Chase Wilson from Colorado State and Jimmori Robinson from UTSA. Wilson features a well-rounded skill set, proving dangerous off the edge, in the open field, and coverage. Over his last two seasons, he amassed 205 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, three-and-a-half sacks, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. He fits the mold of the versatile edge rusher/linebacker Alley utilizes to great effect in his defense.

Robinson earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors last season at UTSA. During the season, he racked up impressive numbers, including 17 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Robinson definitely fits Alley’s disruptive philosophy and should become a fan favorite quickly.

Of course, the Mountaineers also return veteran performers like Reid Carrico and Ben Cutter. They also added three true freshmen, two of whom enrolled in time to contribute to Spring camp.

Now for the Secondary

In each of the last two seasons, the Mountaineers failed to bring consistent pressure into the backfield. Before the 2024 season, the prior staff said they focused on bringing in cornerbacks they could trust in single coverage for precisely this reason: to bring more pressure. Mission failed.

Alley places a premium on trusting his cornerbacks and disguising pressure to allow one of his safeties to assist. Because of this, the Mountaineers brought in more transfers in the secondary than any other position group. Indeed, they added nine transfers to the cornerback and safety rooms. The staff also added seven players to the rooms as true freshmen. Three of them will participate in Spring camp.

Leading this group are Justin Harrington from Washington, Jordan Walker from UT Chattanooga, Fred Perry from Jacksonville State, and Michael Coats Jr. from Nevada. Harrington, Walker, and Perry come in as safeties, and Coats comes in as a cornerback. The additional safeties allow the staff to shift Keke Tarnue to cornerback if they see fit. Otherwise, Devonte Golden-Nelson from Akron, Jordan Scruggs from South Alabama, Jacolby Spells, and Jason Chambers from Appalachian State will battle for the second cornerback and nickel cornerback spots.

It is safe to say that the new staff was not comfortable leaning on just a few bodies in the secondary, instead relying on competition to find the best six to seven to play the majority of snaps. Given the severe lack of depth in the secondary over the last several years in Morgantown, fans should be thrilled to read this figure. In total, the secondary features 26 different players heading into 2025. All but four of them should participate in Spring camp.

As West Virginia overhauls its defense, this much is clear. Alley and his staff place a premium on sharpening the secondary play through competition.

Main image: © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Since West Virginia hired Head Coach Rich Rodriguez to return to the Mountain State, he has been busy evaluating the roster and coaching staff. Ahead of Spring camp, which is set to begin on February 25, we look at the efforts made in remaking the Mountaineers’ roster this offseason. In this article, we look at the offense.

Remaking the Mountaineers’ Roster on Offense

After the Mountaineers fired Neal Brown, many fans worried that West Virginia would enter Spring camp with a thin roster. At first, that seemed to be true. Between graduations, retirements, and transfers, the Mountaineers lost 35 of the 64 position players who took snaps last season. This does not include depth players and special teams contributors. In total, the Mountaineers lost 26 players to the transfer portal after Brown’s departure.

By position, the breakdown of losses looks even worse. The Mountaineers return just 18% of their quarterback snaps from last season. They return 33% of their wide receiver snaps, 8% of their tight end snaps, and just 2% of their offensive line snaps. They are best at running back, where they return nearly half of their snaps despite losing CJ Donaldson to Ohio State.

On defense, the Mountaineers fare just a little better. They return 36% of their defensive line snaps and 26% of their safety snaps. On the other hand, they return just 17% of their linebacker snaps and 10% of their cornerback snaps. For the secondary, plenty would argue that the losses represent addition by subtraction, as the Mountaineers’ pass defense was among the worst in the Power Conferences last season. Still, this represents a lot of bodies to bring in when remaking the Mountaineers’ roster.

Offensive Skill Players

The Mountaineers lose their starting quarterback Garrett Greene, but they retain veteran Nicco Marchiol and redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins. Rodriguez brought in Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson and former Florida quarterback Max Brown to compete with Marchiol and Wilkins for the starting spot. Heading into 2025, the Mountaineers certainly have enough bodies (five, with an additional walk-on) in the room. The question remains who will rise to the challenge and emerge atop the depth chart?

At running back, West Virginia loses Donaldson to Ohio State and also loses Jaylen Anderson to the transfer portal. Otherwise, they return talented junior Jahiem White along with a pair of redshirt freshmen in Diore Hubbard and Trae’von Dunbar. Rodriguez also brought in big-bodied Tye Edwards from Northern Iowa and shifty LJ Turner from Catawba to fill out the room. White should shine in the spread offense, while Edwards adds the bigger body that Rodriguez likes to rely on to run his offense.

At tight end, the Mountaineers return Greg Genross, who will presumably fill in as the team’s lead receiving tight end, along with Jack Sammarco and Noah Braham. They brought in true freshman Jackson Accuardi as an early enrollee. Rodriguez also added Jacob Barrick from Jacksonville State and Johnny Pascuzzi from Iowa through the transfer portal. Pascuzzi looks like the prototypical blocking tight end who should thrive in the spread offense.

Wide Receiver Wide Open

Finally, among the skill players, we saw the coaching staff putting in plenty of work in remaking the Mountaineers’ roster in the wide receiver room. West Virginia loses plenty of production here, from the surprising loss of Hudson Clement to the early retirement of Preston Fox. They also lose Traylon Ray and DayDay Farmer to the portal. Replacing that production will prove challenging, but Rodriguez and his staff brought in plenty of new faces to compete. Jaden Bray, Rodney Gallagher, Jarel Williams, and TJ Johnson return. Redshirt freshmen Brandon Rehmann and Dom Collins also return. The staff brought in three true freshmen to join them.

They also brought in a pair of Jacksonville State receivers in Jarod Bowie and Cam Vaughn, the latter of whom led the Gamecocks in receiving yards as a redshirt freshman last season. Joining that group are Oran Singleton from Eastern Michigan, Jeffrey Weimer from Idaho State, and Cyrus Trough from Youngstown State. Weimer has had impressive productivity in his college career, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four seasons across multiple levels.

In total, the Mountaineers’ roster features 14 wideouts, and 11 of those players will participate in Spring camp. Given the expectations of those receivers to block downfield in the spread offense Rodriguez brings back to Morgantown, we expect the staff focused on building a well-rounded room instead of trying to replace the lost production yard for yard.

Completely Rebuilding the Offensive Line

Without a doubt, the biggest losses the Mountaineers face this offseason came on the offensive line. Brandon Yates, Ja’Quay Hubbard, and Wyatt Milum all graduated. Tomas Rimac and Johnny Williams left through the transfer portal. Those losses decimated both the starting group and the anticipated depth pieces who were being groomed to replace the seniors.

As soon as Rodriguez touched down in Morgantown, however, he got to work recruiting replacements. In total, he and his staff brought in six transfers and five true freshmen. In terms of numbers, the room looks healthy with 16 linemen in the fray. Given that offensive linemen in college perform best later in their careers on average, the staff prioritized adding and retaining veteran bodies. Indeed, four of the six incoming transfers are fifth-year seniors, all from the FBS level. We presume three of those names–Ty’kieast Crawford from Arkansas, Kimo Makane’ole from LSU, and Walter Young Bear from Tulsa–will start next season. Juniors Xavier Bausley (who earned a spot on the Freshman All American team under Rodriguez) and Landen Livingston should represent the other two starters.

Notably, the staff also brought NC State transfer Robby Martin back home to West Virginia. Martin was the top-ranked in-state recruit just a year ago, and he committed to the Wolfpack. He redshirted last season, so he has four years of eligibility remaining.

Given the significant differences between Brown’s offense and the spread offense Rodriguez runs, we certainly expected a significant overhaul on this side of the ball. Rodriguez places a premium on speed, quickness, and toughness at all levels. Offensive linemen need to hold blocks and move to block at the second level more often in the spread offense. This places less of a premium on sheer size in favor of athleticism up front. Thus, while the new additions may not offer perfect replacements for the losses to this room, they should offer more of what Rodriguez is looking for in remaking the Mountaineers’ roster.

Main Image: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Jalen Hurts. NFL MVP. Not bad for a 26-year-old, speaking of which, Happy Birthday Ryan Williams. Last Sunday, we had a fun debate in our Last Word on College Football writer’s chat. We have a writer who likes to poke at his fellow writers, especially those not in the SEC. We are looking at you, O-H-I-O, and the Masked Rider.  Ok, the writer is me. But it is all in fun and makes for some really entertaining discussions and debates. Here is the question that kicked the hornet’s nest on Friday night: where should Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift get married? Wait, that was the wrong chat. The actual question that drew the most ire was, Where did Jalen Hurts go to school? Alabama or Oklahoma?

SEC Tailgate Talk: Jalen Hurts, Bammer or Sooner?

Social Media Recap

Alabama was quick to retweet the picture of a smiling Hurts after the game from the NFL’s Twitter account and the graphic touting Hurts as Superbowl LIX MVP. Alabama’s tweet put out a video a video of Hurts running across the field after the game and embracing Patrick Mahomes with the caption Super Bowl MVP!

Oklahoma did a better and more extensive job of retweeting and promoting Hurts as MVP. They leveled up their social media’s announcement of Hurts’ MVP by putting a picture of Hurts in his Sooners’ uniform. Bonus points for Oklahoma for retweeting Yahoo Sports “A BOOMER OF A PERFORMANCE FROM JALEN HURTS ” tweet and a really cool picture from the Eagles of Jalen smoking a cigar in the hallway after the game with the caption. “Kept the main thing, the main thing.” The Sooners’ social media team went all in on Hurts and promoted the MVP.

It was a good effort, but let’s be honest, it’s social media. Outrage today and forgotten tomorrow. The real question is, when someone asks you, where did Hurts play? What is your first response? Let’s make the case for each.

SEC Tailgate Talk: Jalen Hurts, Bammer or Sooner?

The Case for Alabama

Jalen Hurts and Alabama just go together. We’re not quite sure how one can even say Oklahoma. Sure, it was the last school he went to before the Eagles drafted him. But, come on, Jalen Hurts is forever a Bammer. Hurts took over the starting job in game two as a freshman in 2016. He became the first Alabama starting quarterback to be a freshman in over 32 years. That first season, Hurts showed an ability to run and throw. In that first year, he broke the Alabama record for touchdowns in a season, 36. Alabama was a pick and a Hunter Renfroe score from defeating Clemson in the national championship.

The 2017 season was the lynchpin. Hurts led Alabama to an 11-1 regular season and back to the national championship to face the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta. Unfortunately for Hurts, the Dawgs’ defense flew all over the field and held the Tide scoreless. Down 13-0 at halftime, Nick Saban decided to pull Hurts and replace him with Tua Tagovailoa. A 2nd and 26 conversion sparked Alabama to the come-from-behind win. Hurts was pulled and passed over by a Freshman. The story should have ended, the message was clear it was time for Hurts to move on.

In 2018, Hurts was forced to become a true teammate. Tagovailoa was the starter. Hurts would get spot time, mostly cleanup. He could have sulked and pouted. He stayed and answered the call when the Tide needed him most. In the 2018 SEC Championship game, Hurts came in for an injured Tagovailoa and orchestrated one of the most gutsy comebacks in Alabama history. The win gave the Tide another SEC Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Hurts would graduate with his B.A. in Communications before announcing his transfer to Norman for his senior season.

The Case for Oklahoma

Hurts came out slinging for the Sooners in his first start. He broke the single-game yardage record by putting up 508 yards of total offense against Houston, 112 yards more than Baker Mayfield’s previous record. Hurts would lead the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. His season would end in the semifinal game against the LSU Tigers. Hurts would also finish second to Joe Burrow in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2019.

Hurts thrived in Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense at Oklahoma. While at Alabama, NFL scouts and media members questioned his arm strength and throwing ability. His one season at Oklahoma silenced any doubt and was one of the reasons why the Eagles drafted him in the second round, 53rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Jalen Hurts: The Verdict

Oklahoma deserves some credit. They touted and supported Hurts on social media. Riley and the Air Raid helped answer questions about his arm strength. But, let’s be honest. Was the 2019 season that memorable? Are you still thinking about Hurts and Sooners? If the answer is yes, I am sorry. That is incorrect. Hurts is a member of the Crimson Tide. There is a legacy there. There is a beautiful story arch. Hope. Heartache. Redemption. It is all there. There is no question. There is no debate. Roll Tide.

Main Photo: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman

The post SEC Tailgate Talk: Jalen Hurts, Bammer or Sooner? appeared first on Last Word on College Football.

When Joey McGuire took over in Lubbock, he organized his coaching staff to include a fully-staffed player personnel department. To this day, it provides the ability of the director of personnel to offer a scholarship without needing to confirm with the head coach beforehand. The man who has seen the growth, development, and success of the Red Raider’s player personnel department is general manager James Blanchard. His name has been skyrocketing in the industry and it was only a matter of time before a blue-blood program came seeking his services. It also would not be the first time Notre Dame was interested in him. However, news broke Friday that despite the national championship runner-up calling, McGuire’s (and the administration’s) efforts, Blanchard turned down Notre Dame to stay in Lubbock for the 2025 season.

James Blanchard Turns Down Notre Dame, Staying At Texas Tech

Who Is James Blanchard?

When McGuire began putting his staff together in November 2022, Blanchard was the first person McGuire hired. He has had unprecedented authority when it came to roster building. With this great responsibility, Blanchard flourished. Before 2022, Texas Tech has only signed two top-30 high school classes since 2000. In two of his three full recruiting cycles, Blanchard has been an integral part of securing the 28th and 24th nationally ranked classes in ’23 and ’24. Blanchard has played a huge role in bringing in one of the top transfer classes, this season. This top-of-personnel production out of Texas Tech has never been seen before. As a result, Blanchard has become the poster child of modern-day recruiting.

Blanchard Turns Down Notre Dame Continues To Be Evidence Of “Good Problems”

Marcus Freeman has done his own personnel upgrading in South Bend since Brian Kelly left for LSU. After all, Kelly made strong remarks about how he couldn’t recruit well enough to that part of the country to compete for a national championship. Freeman clearly has had his eye on Texas Tech’s General Manager for quite some time now. McGuire already had to replace both his offensive and defensive coordinators. By all off-season accounts, he nailed both those hires. Of course, we won’t really know until the season gets going. However, McGuire has seemingly cleared the first major hurdle in his Texas Tech coaching tenure.

According to ESPN, Blanchard signed a new three-year contract with Texas Tech. The total value of the new deal is $1.575 million. This makes him one of the highest-paid general managers in the sports. In a statement, McGuire had this to say:

“We’re excited James and his family have chosen to remain Red Raiders and continue the work we started not long ago in building a consistent program that can compete for Big 12 titles. We’re much closer today than we first arrived, and I look forward to continuing to work with James on further building out this roster.”

As Blanchard turns down Notre Dame, it is abundantly clear that Texas Tech has pushed all of its chips into the 2025 season.

Main Photo: Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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2025 Texas Tech Schedule Reaction

• At Houston
• Kansas
• At Arizona State
• Oklahoma State
• At Kansas State
• BYU
• At UCF

The post 2025 Texas Tech Schedule Reaction appeared first on Last Word on College Football.

It’s no secret that Oklahoma State football was facing down disaster after 2024. The situation was dire enough that the administration seriously began considering firing their head coach of twenty years. After reigning in the program, however, a strong 2025 season is firmly in Mike Gundy’s sights. But what is the most likely path to victory?

Oklahoma State Football Looking For Victory In 2025

Easy Opening or Early Disaster?

The first few weeks see a rather typical layup for a team like Oklahoma State. An FCS school, former National Championship contender the Oregon Ducks, and the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Oh, and that FCS school has actually been the Big South Champion for five years straight.

Alright, so it might be a tough few weeks. The first two key matchups are: UT Martin and Oregon. UT Martin will be an early indication of whether or not Oklahoma State’s defense, and the transfer portal additions, stand a chance against the rest of the Big 12 this season.

On the other hand, Oregon will test the Cowboys’ on both sides of the ball. For the moment, though, we’ll be focusing on the offense. New quarterback Hauss Hejny is probably in for a morale-crushing experience by taking on a championship-caliber defense so early. However, this will also be a great indication of whether or not he’ll be able to overcome the rest of the Big 12. After all, this is a conference well known for producing Top 25 defenses year after year.

Oklahoma State Football’s Mid-Season Success or Slump?

After Gundy wins over Tulsa to wrap up another edition of BOK’s Turnpike Classic, he’ll face the Baylor Bears. The first conference game of the year will also mark the start of several weeks at home, which is a welcome relief considering most of 2024 was spent on the road.

The Baylor game is always a toss-up. Historically, Oklahoma State has the advantage. Then again, it’s the Cowboys, a team so readily able to give up the easy wins that it’s almost tradition at this point. Chalk this one up to dumb luck, and we’ll see you in the fall when this game kicks off.

Cincinnati and Houston have been on a downward trend the past few years, and that’s looking to continue into 2025. If Oklahoma State can’t find the wins here, the season’s already gone belly-up and we can start looking towards 2026. Iowa State, though, could pose a real threat.

The Cyclones just barely lost out on the Big 12 Championship last year. However, they’ve also lost national talents in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Without the duo that produced over 60% of their receptions and touchdowns, it’s hard to say that Iowa State would be the same type of threat. We’ll likely, see an offensive shootout between the Cowboys and the Cyclones.

Hit the Road, Gundy

After that, Oklahoma State football will be on the road for the rest of the season. The final weeks of 2024 saw Big 12 Champions Arizona State, TCU, and a Top 25 Colorado absolutely mauling Oklahoma State. This year promises an easier finish to the season.

The Kansas State Wildcats may not be a consistently great team, but they’re a threat to anyone who comes up against them. They’re also likely to be the worst loss the Cowboys will face this year, and there’s not much doubt about that.

Arizona’s had one good season in recent memory, in 2023, and has gone right back downhill since then. The Kansas Jayhawks are, similarly, still struggling to find their footing, and also aren’t likely to win against Oklahoma State this year. This brings us to the final two games of the season: Texas Tech and UCF.

Double Trouble for Oklahoma State Football?

The Red Raiders have brought in Mack Leftwich as offensive coordinator and Shiel Wood as defensive coordinator. Leftwich was responsible for the unprecedented success at Texas State in 2024. Wood has been creating innovative and solid defenses at Troy and Tulane. Gundy has normally been able to outwit Head Coach Joey McGuire, but this may be the season where that all changes.

UCF, on the other hand, is going back to the well. They’ve rehired Scott Frost and are hoping that he’ll turn things around. Frankly, the odds just aren’t in his favor. Maybe Frost can pull it off, but he probably won’t be able to hold his team together against the Cowboys.

Last Word’s Prediction for the Oklahoma State 2025 Football Season

It’s no secret that Gundy’s on the hot seat. The only thing keeping his dynasty at Oklahoma State alive is a strong 2025 season. Mercifully, the schedule’s easier, and the home stretch isn’t packed with heavy hitters.

That’s why Last Word on Sports’ prediction for the season is a solid 9-3. They could even be an underdog for the ever-elusive Big 12 Championship. You can mark it down, or tell us why we’re wrong, just be sure to come back every week as we bring you the latest in all things Oklahoma State Cowboys football.

Main Photo: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

The post Oklahoma State Football Looking For Victory In 2025 appeared first on Last Word on College Football.

Texas Tech celebrated its best season since 2009. Last week, Last Word took a look at which of the Red Raider victories tasted sweeter than other. And yet, there are justifiable feelings amongst the fan base and coaches that this season left meat on the bone. Head Coach Joey McGuire spoke about this very issue after the Big 12 title matchup was officially set. After all, Texas Tech beat both Arizona State and Iowa State this season. If this program takes the next step in 2025, it will learn more by studying the defeats than the victories. So which of the 2024 Texas Tech losses stung the most?

Ranking 2024 Texas Tech Losses

5. Arkansas

The Liberty Bowl was an excellent opportunity for some new faces to get some shine. All week, it appeared that the Red Raiders would be with their all-time leading rusher Tahj Brooks as he traveled and practiced with the team. But when pre-game warm-ups started, Brooks came out in street clothes. The offense was just meh, but the defense was horrific. A 39-26 defeat at the hands of Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks doesn’t reflect accurately how one-sided this game was. That said, it was a non-major bowl game with plenty of opt-outs and lots of true freshmen getting starts. It also had interim offensive and defensive coordinators calling both sides of the ball. So while it was not the ending anyone wanted, it did next to nothing to take away from a successful 2024 campaign.

4. Washington State

In 2023, Texas Tech opened its season on the road against Wyoming. The Red Raiders stubbed their toe in the opener to the Cowboys, and it seemingly set the tone for that season. This year, after surviving an FCS opponent at home, the Red Raiders faced their first road test of the season. Brooks did not play in this one and the offense looked like it practiced all week without a secondary game plan knowing he would be a game-time decision. Quarterback Behren Morton played his worst game of 2024. The defense had no answer for Washington State quarterback John Mateer’s legs.

This 37-16 smackdown during the Pac12 After Dark window was a painful watch for those who stayed up late. In the moment this one of the Texas Tech losses felt like a sign of another season with less preseason hype and it still came up short of those expectations. It was also before the country knew how good Mateer and the Cougars would be in the season. Looking back, while the game was ugly, losing on the road to an eight-win P4-worthy team is nothing to feel horrible about.

3. Baylor

Last Word now enters the tier of Texas Tech losses that left fans wanting more. The following three losses all share this common thread: a win in any of these games would have kept Texas Tech in a strong position to play for a Big 12 title. It was homecoming week in Lubbock. The Red Raiders were coming off a bye week. Dave Aranda’s Bears were on a three-game losing streak, winless in Big 12 play, and only 2-4 on the season. A victory would have pushed Texas Tech to 6-1 and a perfect 5-0 record in Big 12 play. It could have not been set up any better for the Red Raiders to keep things rolling to a special season.

Instead, Baylor came into Jones AT&T Stadium and bullied the home team. Special teams in particular were a disaster, but the defense put on one of its worst performances of the season. When the clock hit zero, the home crowd started dumbfounded at the 59-35 defeat. It was a golden opportunity wasted. However, with hindsight and seeing this was the game that started a six-game winning streak for Baylor, it softens the blow a little.

2. Colorado

Big Noon Kickoff chose to make its Lubbock debut when Deion Sanders’ team came to town in early November. The Big 12 race was still very much in doubt. Colorado had a 4-1 Big 12 record, while Texas Tech was 4-2. A win by either team would put themselves in the driver’s seat to reach Arlington for a conference title game. It had been since 2008 that there was this type of buzz around campus all week. Despite some stumbles by this Red Raider team, they still had one last chance to make this a special season. The game started about as well as Texas Tech could have hoped for. After the first quarter, the Red Raiders held a 13-0 lead.

However, Colorado did not blink. The skill talent on the perimeter, including the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, proved to be too much for the Texas Tech defense. The Buffalo defense gave the Red Raider offense major trouble in the last three quarters. They would finish the game causing three turnovers and sacking Morton seven times. Despite the slow start by Colorado, they would complete the comeback by a score of 41-27. This loss was especially painful not just for being all but mathematically eliminated from the Big 12 championship, but it served as a clear sign Texas Tech did not have the necessary talent to be a top-tier Big 12 team in 2024. While this would be the last regular season loss, it still would be a defining sour marker on the season.

1. TCU

None of the Texas Tech losses were more agonizing and frustrating than the one in Fort Worth. It was the week after the humiliating effort against Baylor. While the Red Raiders no longer had firm control at the top of the Big 12 standings, they still controlled their own destiny. Just like the Washington State game, this was an opportunity to flush a stinky performance down the drain and get back to business. However, the first quarter of the game did not inspire any confidence. Texas Tech fell behind early surrending touchdown plays of 35 and 75 yards to dig a 14-3 deficit. But the script quickly flipped. The Red Raiders would score 28 unanswered points and held a 31-14 lead with 6:33 left in the third quarter. Morton did not play in the second half due to a collarbone injury, but backup Will Hammond looked crisp in operating the offense.

Finally, it appeared Texas Tech had the depth to deal with injuries and the coaches had responded by making necessary adjustments to the slow start. Things were finally going to be different in 2024. Even when TCU cut the lead to 31-21, it never felt like the game was in doubt. Especially because the Red Raiders answered immediately with a field goal to snag a 34-21 lead with 11:13 left in the game. But then it all crumbled faster than a pile of dried leaves. TCU scored on the ensuing drive. After forcing a punt, TCU scored on an 84-yard touchdown pass. Texas Tech was able to get the ball in field goal range (TCU’s 27-yard line) before Hammond was sacked and fumbled the ball. The 35-34 defeat to Sonny Dykes’ squad was a gut punch to everyone. Coaching on both sides of the ball failed and some of the weaknesses that plagued this team all season showed up at the worst time. This game spiritually eliminated the Red Raiders from Big 12 contention and there was no greater “what if” than this game.

The post Ranking 2024 Texas Tech Losses appeared first on Last Word on College Football.

Despite the worst season since 2005, Oklahoma State football is looking to make a big comeback in 2025. Somehow, some way, Head Coach Mike Gundy is taking back control to lead the OSU Cowboys to victory. Their first step was sweeping through the transfer portal, their next? Making room for fresh talent on the coaching staff.

Oklahoma State Finalizes Its 2025 Coaching Staff

The Gundy Dynasty Lives On

It’s no surprise that, like Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Gundy enjoys a good deal of control when it comes to his team. Indeed, there’s not an aspect of Oklahoma State football that Gundy hasn’t influenced in the past twenty years. From top to bottom, make no mistake, this is his football program.

That won’t end whenever Gundy finally steps down, though. That’s because his son, Gunnar Gundy, is stepping into one of the many vacant coaching positions this spring. As a quarterback, Gunnar’s biggest impact came during his time with Emporia State in 2024. Gunnar threw for over 2,700 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had a completion percentage of 64.4% at the end of his tenure.

Gunnar is giving up his final year of eligibility to become the quality control coach for the quarterbacks. It’s likely that he’ll be working very closely with incoming TCU transfer Hauss Hejny.

Offensive Coaches for Oklahoma State Football

If Gunnar wants to climb higher, though, he’ll have to do it on his own. Doug Meacham and Sooners quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns are coming in to head up the offensive side of the ball. Both names come with history and experience.

Meacham is well known to OSU fans and staff alike. A Cowboys lineman in the 80’s, Meacham went on to coach tight ends and receivers at OSU from 2005 to 2012. Since 2020, Meacham has been with TCU in various roles. Most recently he pushed the Horned Frogs to the 33rd best offense in the nation in 2024. Meacham is looking to do the same as offensive coordinator for Oklahoma State.

Initially, looking at the Oklahoma Sooners’ 2024 season, the hiring of Johns looks like a concerning move. However, his lone season with the Sooners shouldn’t be the basis upon which Johns’ abilities are judged. He’s been a major factor in the sudden surge of the Blue Devils becoming a powerhouse football team. Johns also coached Riley Leonard to All-ACC honors and put him in a position to set and break school records. If he can replicate even half of that with Hejny, good things are on the way for Oklahoma State football in 2025.

Defensive Coaches for Oklahoma State Football

In order to replace what was the single worst defense in the country last year, Gundy is bringing in even more veteran talents. Todd Grantham will be taking over as defensive coordinator for 2025. Underneath him will be Kap Dede, who will be the linebackers coach, and Ryan Osborn, who will be the defensive line coach.

Grantham is coming to the Big 12 and will experience from the NFL, SEC, and ACC. Most recently, Grantham was working with the younger talents on the New Orleans Saints defense. Grantham also spent time under Saban at Alabama and was Florida’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2020.

Dede comes from Western Kentucky and, arguably, has the most to prove. WKU had a 96th ranked defense last year, but, thanks to Dede’s coaching of the linebackers, was only 11th nationally in passing yards allowed. Prior to WKU, Dede also coached at Long Island, Charlotte, and Colorado State.

Osborn is coming off of a Top 20 Charlotte team, where they ranked 16th nationally for red zone defense. As most OSU fans know, the Cowboys are historically terrible at red zone defense, so the hiring of Osborn is a massive win. Osborn has also spent time in the NFL, most recently working for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 and 2023.

Last Word on Oklahoma State’s 2025 Coaching Staff

It cannot be understated just how strange all of this is. Last year was one of the worst years for Oklahoma football in decades, and doubly so for Oklahoma State. Yet, despite ranking as one of the worst teams nationally, the Cowboys are set to make a massive comeback.

In a way, it’s par for the course for Oklahoma State. Even when they’re on top of the world, the Cowboys are perennial underdogs. So, now that they’ve hit rock bottom, they’re setting the stage to become one of the best teams in the Big 12. Maybe it was the shutout loss to Deion Sanders and Colorado. Maybe it was the near firing of their head coach. Either way, something’s different this year.

The only question now is does Oklahoma State finally have a chance at grabbing that ever-elusive Big 12 Championship? We probably won’t know until they lock up with Oregon on September 6th. Until then, though, be sure to check back in every week as Last Word On Sports brings you the latest on all things Oklahoma State football.

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