On Sunday, news broke surrounding Texas Tech’s football program as Joey McGuire plans to make a major change to his staff.
That change is the firing of defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who has served as defensive coordinator on Joey McGuire’s staff for the past three seasons.
The 2024 season marked the 23rd consecutive season that DeRuyter served as a defensive coordinator or a head coach, dating back to 2002 in Ohio. Previously, DeRuyter has made stops at Ohio, Nevada, Air Force, Texas A&M, Fresno State, California, and Oregon.
Texas Tech was one of the most inconsistent teams in the Big 12 Conference this year with units on both ends of the spectrum. While their offense ranked first in the league in most major categories, their defense ranked last in several. DeRuyter’s group gave up the second-most points of any team in the league (34.5), the most passing yards per game (305.3), and the second-most total yards per game of anyone in the league (453.4).
Texas Tech finished the year off in seventh in the Big 12 Conference with an overall record of 8-4 and a conference record of 6-3. If The Red Raiders can hire the right defensive coordinator and get the unit straightened out, they should enter the 2025 season as a serious threat to win the league.
