Tommy Tuberville new Texas Tech HC

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LUBBOCK, Texas -- Tommy Tuberville says he's certain he can take Texas Tech to new heights.

 

"There's no doubt in my mind we can take it to the next level," Tuberville said Sunday after being introduced as the new coach at Texas Tech, replacing the fired Mike Leach.

 

The first step for the Red Raiders would be to win the Big 12 South outright, followed by a berth in a BCS bowl game and perhaps a shot at a national title.

 

The former Auburn and Mississippi coach says the road to improvement includes improving on defense and adding a "few new wrinkles" to a pass-happy offense.

 

Tuberville walks into a situation a few weeks after Leach was fired amid allegations he mistreated a player who suffered a concussion.

 

Tuberville took the job Saturday and was expected to sign a contract later this week, officials said. His deal is for five years and in the range of $2 million a year, a source told ESPN.com's Chris Low.

 

The 55-year-old Tuberville gave the Red Raiders' 'Guns Up' hand sign as he walked in to be introduced. He wore a striped red-and-black tie with the school's Double T logo embroidered at the bottom. After athletic director Gerald Myers introduced him, Tuberville donned a white Texas Tech hat.

 

He plans to meet with players on Wednesday.

 

He stepped down at Auburn in December 2008, ending a 10-year tenure that included a perfect season and a string of teams that contended for Southeastern Conference championships.

 

Without mentioning Leach's name, Tuberville called the recent problems "a small bump in the road" in light of the program's 85-year history.

 

"I like that people are disappointed. They should be," Tuberville said. "But it's not the end of the world because there is another day. And I'm telling Texas Tech fans right now that we're going to be fun to watch."

 

Added Myers: "He's won championships. He's played in BCS games. We wish him the best in developing a program that all of us hope that he can."

 

Tuberville said he plans to interview four or five people each for defensive and offensive coordinator jobs -- all of them outside the program.

 

He met with members of the coaching staff late Saturday but Ruffin McNeill, the lone other candidate for the job, was not among them. He will meet again with some of them at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, Fla., on Monday

 

"I'll just have to wait and see if anybody strikes something in me that I feel, 'Hey, I think they can get this job done," Tuberville said.

 

Tuberville will inherit a proven spread offense two years after abandoning his attempt at implementing one midway through his final season at Auburn. In 2000, Leach brought a pass-happy offense to Texas Tech that put up gaudy numbers. All but two of his quarterbacks led the nation in passing in his 10 seasons.

 

Tuberville said he'll make "subtle" changes in the offense to "enhance" it. There will be more running, but the passing game will remain -- and improve.

 

"We're going to keep the Air Raid," he said. "I like to control the ball, and you can do that in the air as well as you can on the ground."

 

Tuberville said he has spoken to many of the program's recruits and none told him he'd changed his mind about coming to Texas Tech.

 

"The reception was great," he said, adding that his national exposure as an ESPN analyst during the year he was away from coaching helps. "Most players know who I am, and that helps."

 

Tuberville was 85-40 at Auburn, including a 13-0 season in 2004 when the Tigers finished No. 2, won the SEC title for the first time in 15 years and Tuberville won the AP Coach of the Year award.

 

Before going to Auburn, Tuberville coached at Mississippi and was 25-20 in four years after inheriting a program under NCAA sanctions. He also spent a year as defensive coordinator at Texas A&M when the Aggies finished 10-0-1 and were among the nation's defensive leaders.

 

Calling himself a riverboat gambler, Tuberville said fans and players should not be surprised when he takes chances.

 

"I do it for momentum," he said. "I like for the fans to understand, if you go on a punting down to get your a Coke or a bag of popcorn, you might miss something that's going to be fun."

 

As a Red Radier fan, I am pretty pleased with this hiring. Tuberville has a history as a winning coach and I think he can do well at Tech. The two things I was most happy to see was him keeping the spread offense and the fact that all recruits, (hopefully including Kadron Boone) are still planning on Tech. I am interested to see if he keeps Lincoln Riley as his OC, which would be the smart move. As of right now, it appears that Ruffin will not return as the DC, which I can't say I am disappointed about. His defenses have always been average at best. With a true defensive minded coach, maybe they will be able to bring in some top nothc players as well.

[Rockerbraves]

As a Red Radier fan, I am pretty pleased with this hiring. Tuberville has a history as a winning coach and I think he can do well at Tech. The two things I was most happy to see was him keeping the spread offense and the fact that all recruits, (hopefully including Kadron Boone) are still planning on Tech. I am interested to see if he keeps Lincoln Riley as his OC, which would be the smart move. As of right now, it appears that Ruffin will not return as the DC, which I can't say I am disappointed about. His defenses have always been average at best. With a true defensive minded coach, maybe they will be able to bring in some top nothc players as well.

Texas Tech commit Boone to visit LSU

 

Monday, January 11, 2010 | Print Entry

 

 

Posted by Gerry Hamilton

 

Under Armour All-American receiver Kadron Boone (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic) remains committed to Texas Tech, but is still taking visits. The No. 96 prospect in the ESPNU 150 tripped to Louisville last weekend. That was Boone's first visit since the coaching change in Lubbock.

 

The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder will be back on the road this weekend visiting LSU. Recently-hired receivers coach Billy Gonzales is recruiting Boone. The trip to Baton Rouge will not be the last for the four-star prospect because Boone is talking with West Virginia and Georgia about visit dates on Jan. 22 and 29.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?...west_Recruiting

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I am interested to see if he keeps Lincoln Riley as his OC, which would be the smart move.

 

Guess not:

 

Tuberville hires Neal Brown as Tech's new offensive coordinator

 

January, 12, 2010 Jan 122:36PM ETEmail Print Share By Tim GriffinNew Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has made his first hire, adding Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown in the same position for the Red Raiders.

 

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Brown, 29, has been hired to join Tuberville's staff.

 

Brown has been the youngest offensive coordinator in the nation the past two seasons with the Trojans. He will inherit many weapons with the Red Raiders, including quarterbacks Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield, who helped direct Tech to a 9-4 season in 2009.

 

Brown, a wide receiver at Kentucky and Massachusetts during his college career, has been an offensive wizard in his short coaching career.

 

The Trojans ranked third nationally in total offense in 2009, averaging 485.7 yards per game, including fourth in passing (336.5) and 16th in scoring average (33.7 points per game). They finished 9-4, losing a 44-41 overtime game to Central Michigan in the GMAC Bowl.

 

Troy scored 40 or more points in seven of its last eight games of the 2009 season. And the Trojans finished with a bang, averaging 578.7 yards and 7.5 yards per play over their final three games.

 

It's an interesting hire by Tuberville. And one that proves he isn't paying lip service to his stated aim of trying to build a high-powered aerial attack for his new program.