Texas Tech football: 5 candidates to replace Matt Wells

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have parted ways with head coach Matt Wells so who could the university look at to be the next football coach?

Well, the Texas Tech Red Raiders decided it was apparently time to split with head coach Matt Wells. The Red Raiders are 5-3 this season, but they’ve been largely unsuccessful under Wells’ guidance as he went 13-17 at Texas Tech.

Sonny Cumbie will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the year.

Whoever Texas Tech hires next will need to hit the ground running as they apparently can’t afford to struggle at all. Or they’ve got to at least show some potential for success in their first few seasons. Wells was just in his third season in Lubbock and the folks running the show at Texas Tech decided it was time to part ways with their head coach.

Who could Tech hire and expect to start winning, or at least show some potential, right out of the gate?

5 candidates Texas Tech should consider to replace Matt Wells

5. USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell

Texas Tech has the opportunity to truly return to its Air Raid roots by bringing a quarterback who flourished under Mike Leach’s tutelage. Things have been bumpy for Harrell as the USC Trojans never really saw much consistent success with his offense, but maybe things could be better for him if he were running things in Lubbock.

4. Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby

The Ole Miss Rebels offense has been remarkable all season long with Jeff Lebby designing things. Lebby, a McGregor, Texas native, previously helped shape the offense at UCF and has been able to translate that sort of offensive success to the SEC. His schemes should be able to work in Lubbock as well.

3. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor

The UTSA Roadrunners are having an incredibly special season and head coach Jeff Traylor should receive a ton of praise for the way he has them off to an 8-0 start. This group should be able to win the Conference USA championship and that should get Traylor some nice job offers.

2. Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles

While a few Texas Tech fans might want his father, Kendal Briles has less baggage and has become a proven offensive coordinator. He’s a bright mind and has been able to help the Arkansas Razorbacks get off to a decent start this year. His experience coaching in a couple of different conferences should be desirable, even if his experience at Baylor will bring up plenty of criticism and frustration.

1. SMU head coach Sonny Dykes

As the son of a former Texas Tech head coach and the architect of a thrilling Air Raid-inspired offense that has the SMU Mustangs as one of the most enjoyable teams to watch right now, is there a better fit for the Red Raiders than Sonny Dykes? He’s familiar with the Lone Star state, has been able to successfully court transfer players into his current program and has seen plenty of success in the process. Dykes might just be the best available candidate, assuming Texas Tech can actually get him to leave the impressive program he’s building at SMU.

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