Joel Klatt has seen enough through the first half of the 2025 college football season to start handing out some midseason hardware, and when it came time to name his top five candidates for National Coach of the Year, Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire made the cut. The Red Raiders have roared out to a 6-0 start, and Klatt, one of the most respected analysts in the sport, is giving McGuire his due on a national stage.
This isn’t just a nod to a hot start. Klatt specifically called out how McGuire has built this team through a combination of transfer portal savvy, player development, and a renewed culture of toughness in Lubbock. What McGuire has done since arriving at Texas Tech is nothing short of a full-on culture shift, and now it’s paying off in wins that matter. Sitting atop the Big 12 standings midway through October, the Red Raiders have transformed from plucky dark horse to legitimate National Championship contender.
Klatt’s recognition also carries extra weight because of the competition around McGuire. He joins names like Curt Cignetti at Indiana and Ryan Day at Ohio State on the list, which shows that national media members are no longer treating Texas Tech as a feel-good story or a lucky run. They are acknowledging that what McGuire has built is sustainable, serious, and deserving of national respect.
For Texas Tech fans, this is another moment to appreciate just how quickly the trajectory of the program has changed. McGuire is not only leading one of the most balanced teams in the country, but he is doing it in a league that has become as unpredictable and competitive as any in college football. To be undefeated through six games in the modern Big 12 takes more than just talent. It takes leadership, adaptability, and relentless buy-in from a roster that believes it can win every time it steps on the field.
There’s still a long road ahead, and McGuire would be the first to say that midseason praise does not guarantee postseason results. But this is another clear sign that Texas Tech is building something special, and now the rest of the country is starting to take notice.
