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Relive how Texas Tech put together a College Football Playoff team
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- Relive how Texas Tech put together a College Football Playoff team
Take a breath, because we're almost to the Orange Bowl.
A lot has happened in the last 13 months or so for the Texas Tech football team. The Red Raiders got new coordinators on offense and defense, completely changed the program's perception through its use of the transfer portal and NIL war chest, sat through eight-plus months of hyperbole and lip service, and, finally, made it all worthwhile with the Big 12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
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Now seems like a good time to relive it all, from the end of the 2024 regular season to Texas Tech 's anticipated matchup with Oregon in Miami. Here's how it all went down, in chronological order.
Texas Tech football finds new coordinators Shiel Wood, Mack Leftwich
After the firing of defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and Zach Kittley's departure to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic , Texas Tech wasted little time in finding replacements, getting Shiel Wood from Houston on Dec. 4 to take over the defense and Mack Leftwich from Texas State on Dec. 5 to be the team's new offensive coordinator. Both units lead the Big 12 and are Top 10 in the nation this season.
Jacob Rodriguez announces return to Texas Tech football
Perhaps the most undervalued move of last December was stud linebacker Jacob Rodriguez announcing he would return for his final year of eligibility on Dec. 5. All Rodriguez has done is win the Bednarik, Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski awards to be considered the best defensive player in the country and finished fifth in Heisman voting.
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Transfer portal commitment dates — Winter
Here's when each of Texas Tech's top transfer portal additions committed to the Red Raiders from the winter portal transfer window.
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Dec. 11:Cole Wisniewski (North Dakota State), Hunter Zambrano (Illinois State)
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Dec. 12:Dontae Balfour (Charlotte)
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Dec. 13:Brice Pollock ( Mississippi State ), Reggie Virgil (Miami ( Ohio ))
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Dec. 14: Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois)
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Dec. 15:Will Jados (Miami (Ohio))
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Dec. 16:Amier Boyd-Matthews ( UTEP )
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Dec. 17:Terrance Carter Jr. ( Louisiana ), Lee Hunter ( UCF ), Mitch Griffis ( Wake Forest )
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Dec. 18:A.J. Holmes Jr. (Houston), Howard Sampson ( North Carolina ), Tarrion Grant ( Purdue )
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Dec. 19: Romello Height ( Georgia Tech ), Quinten Joyner (USC)
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Dec. 21:Upton Bellenfant (Buffalo)
David Bailey transfers from Stanford to Texas Tech football
Perhaps the biggest addition out of the transfer portal came unexpectedly. After Stanford fired head coach Troy Taylor, talented outside linebacker David Bailey headed for the portal and wound up signing with Texas Tech on April 4 and started practicing with the team four days later . Bailey led the nation in total sacks and joined Rodriguez as a consensus, unanimous All-American in addition to being named the Big 12 defensive newcomer and defensive lineman of the year.
Texas Tech players pose with the trophy after beating BYU in the Big 12 Conference championship game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Quinten Joyner suffers season-ending injury; Cameron Dickey , J'Koby Williams take over
Texas Tech went into 2025 preseason camp expecting a three-headed monster at running back with USC transfer Quinten Joyner, Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams splitting the load. That never got to happen after Joyner suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-August. Dickey and Williams handled the load just fine this season. Dickey earned second-team all-Big 12 with 1,095 yards and 14 TDs rushing. Meanwhile, Williams has accounted for 787 yards and 6 TDs on the ground with another 371 yards receiving.
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Behren Morton 's shoulder healed, leg a problem; Will Hammond 's knee ends season
Quarterback Behren Morton went into his final year in Lubbock touting his freshly repaired shoulder , saying he felt better than he had in years. Then he suffered a leg injury in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which has been nagging him all season. His backup Will Hammond helped win the Utah game but lost against Arizona State. Morton has yet to lose a game he's started for Texas Tech this season while Hammond suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Oct. 25 game against Oklahoma State .
Skyler Gill-Howard undergoes ankle surgery
One of the more unheralded transfer portal additions was defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard, joining Texas Tech from Northern Illinois. Gill-Howard quickly established himself as the emotional heartbeat of the defense before getting leg-whipped in the Oct. 11 game against Kansas . He has not yet been ruled out for the remainder of the season, but he underwent ankle surgery a week after the injury and has not played since.
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College GameDay finally returns to Lubbock
For the first time since 2008, ESPN brought College GameDay to Lubbock and Texas Tech was ready for the moment. With Patrick Mahomes in the house as the guest picker, the Red Raiders stomped BYU 29-7 in a game they had to settle for a program-record five field goals.
Joey McGuire gets a contract extension
National narratives were if Texas Tech didn't achieve great things this year, Joey McGuire's job may be in jeopardy. Lucky for McGuire, the Red Raiders pushed all the right buttons, going 12-1 en route to winning the program's first Big 12 Conference title and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. McGuire, who was never going anywhere, was rewarded with a new contract that goes through the 2032 season and ups his pay. Texas Tech has also extended each of its top four lieutenants, including general manager James Blanchard and associate head coach Kenny Perry, in addition to Wood and Leftwich.
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Texas Tech football 2025 schedule
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Aug. 30:Texas Tech 67, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
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Sept. 6:Texas Tech 62, Kent State 14
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Sept. 13:Texas Tech 45, Oregon State 14
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Sept. 20:Texas Tech 34, Utah 10
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Oct. 4:Texas Tech 35, Houston 11
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Oct. 11:Texas Tech 42, Kansas 17
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Oct. 18:Arizona State 26, Texas Tech 22
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Oct. 25:Texas Tech 42, Oklahoma State 0
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Nov. 1:Texas Tech 43, Kansas State 20
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Nov. 8:Texas Tech 29, BYU 7
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Nov. 15:Texas Tech 48, UCF 9
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Nov. 29:Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0
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Dec. 6:Big 12 Championship — Texas Tech 34, BYU 7
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How Texas Tech football assembled a Big 12 champion, CFP team
