Joey McGuire's deep ties to Texas High School Football could aid in Texas Tech recruiting
HOUSTON – Trust is a big deal, especially between collegiate and high school football head coaches in Texas.
That is one thing that Joey McGuire already has.
The former Cedar Hill head coach, who is in his fifth season at Baylor on staff, was announced as the new Texas Tech coach on Monday morning.
"I love Joey McGuire, he's a very fiery guy and personable," Foster high school coach Shaun McDowell said. "His personality is infectious. Everybody wants to be around him."
McGuire spent 13 seasons leading Cedar Hill, where he won a trio of state titles, before heading to the college game. In 2020, he was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor.
That tie to the coaches is one that hasn't diminished since his move up.
"He's got that personality. If you know Joey, you like Joey," Fort Bend Marshall coach James Williams said. "He's a good guy. He knows how to win, knows how to build relationships and has had a very successful coaching career."
Rebuilding the recruiting line to Texas Tech is going to be job No. 1 for McGuire as he will be formally introduced as the Red Raiders new coach on Tuesday.
Currently in the Class of 2022, of the nine commits – which ranks the class ninth out of 10 in the conference – five are from Texas. One is from Houston (Tyler King – Alief Taylor). Last year, the Class of 2021, 10 of the 12 high school signees were from Texas and only one from Houston. Texas Tech also added 11 through the transfer portal.
Being a former Texas high school football coach, Williams believes will help to get the recruiting wheel rolling in Lubbock.
"He's going to do the recruiting part the right way," he said. "He's the type of guy he'll try and get to every single high school in Texas if he can in the next six months."
McDowell added: "I think he's a guy that gets it. He doesn't have to learn how it goes down in Texas. He's going to know about athletic periods, what kids want, understand the culture of who is looking for what in each school.
"His learning curve is really small. He's going to be able to get guys that understand areas."
