Matt Wells always seemed like a curious hire for Texas Tech.
While people within the football community loved Wells and praised the job he did at Utah State, there was no natural fit with Tech or West Texas. He was pitched as substance over sizzle, and never delivered much on either, increasingly frustrating fans.
Less than three full seasons into his time in Lubbock, Wells is out, unceremoniously fired two days after Tech blew a 14-point halftime lead and lost 25-24 to Kansas State. Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie will take over the coaching duties on an interim basis.
Tech made the announcement official Monday afternoon after a series of media reports.
Speculation immediately focused on two successful coaches with undefeated teams in the state of Texas. SMU’s Sonny Dykes is a former Tech assistant whose father, Spike, was Tech’s head coach from 1986-99. Jeff Traylor, a former Texas assistant, has UTSA ranked for the first time.
Other possible candidates include former Baylor coach Art Briles, who some Tech fans wanted hired this past offseason, and Houston coach Dana Holgorsen, a former Tech assistant.
But Holgorsen didn’t receive an interview the last time the job was open and Briles is still viewed as problematic from the investigation into the handling of sexual assault cases at Baylor. His son, Kendal, the OC at Arkansas, has also become a hot coaching name as has his son-in-law, Mississippi OC Jeff Lebby.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, a former DC at Oklahoma and Hocutt’s college teammate at Kansas State, has long been viewed as a top head coaching candidate.
Hocutt and President Lawrence Schovanec face pressure to deliver on the next hire with an impatient, grumbling fanbase wanting results in the upcoming new Big 12.
Since Tech fired Mike Leach in a controversial move in 2009, the Red Raiders have not had a winning record in the Big 12 and have gone 33-65 in conference play. Tech has tried a former SEC coach (Tommy Tuberville), a Leach disciple (Kliff Kingsbury) and a Group of Five coach (Wells) with little success.
That Wells was let go with a 5-3 record shows that he had reached a point of no return after K-State and previous lopsided losses to Texas (70-35) and TCU (52-31). This season, Tech had battled injuries, including the loss of Oregon transfer quarterback Tyler Shough.
Tech still needs one win for bowl eligibility but will be an underdog against four ranked teams to close the season in Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor.
Wells was asked about the noise surrounding him and the program on a Sunday night media availability.
“There’s noise around every program that faces a loss, that has a loss,” Wells said. “We’re 5-3 right now and we’re doing some things that are really, really good. I choose to lean on that.”
Wells exits with a record of 13-17, including 7-16 in the Big 12. Tech won four games in each of Wells’ first two seasons.
Fans and some influential Tech donors lobbied for Wells’ dismissal last season. Instead, Tech fired offensive coordinator David Yost and brought back Cumbie, a former Red Raider quarterback under Leach.
