High School Coach Cold-Calls Way to College Football Glory, Shocks Résumé Nazis

KEY POINTS

•Joey McGuire spent most of his career coaching at Cedar Hill High School in Texas before becoming Texas Tech’s head coach in 2021.
•Despite lacking a top-tier résumé, McGuire cold-called athletic director Kirby Hocutt and impressed the committee with a seven-step plan.
•Under McGuire’s leadership, Texas Tech achieved a program-best 12 wins in 2025 and won their first Big 12 Championship since 1955.

In a move that makes you question every job denial, Joey McGuire’s 2021 Texas Tech football head coach hiring defied experience snobs everywhere. The man spent most of his career stacking three Texas Cedar Hill High School championships and a modest assistant gig at Baylor. Undeterred by a resume Power 4 programs might see and immediately recycle, McGuire cold-called AD Kirby Hocutt, leaving a voicemail audacious enough to merit a standing ovation. His seven-step plan to win, including a full coaching wishlist and dreams of awakening a 'sleeping giant,' charmed the hiring committee so much they crowned him "our guy." Fast forward to 2025, McGuire’s Red Raiders smashed records with 12 wins and landed their first straight Big 12 title since 1955, only to get politely crushed by Oregon in the playoff quarters. Apparently, cold calls and detailed recruiting make miracles—or at least a good story for your next interview.