Texas Tech hires Kliff Kingsbury as new football coach
BY BETSY BLANEY Associated Press
Thursday, December 13, 2012
12/13/12 at 5:34 AM
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech hired one of its own Wednesday, bringing back former Red Raiders quarterback Kliff Kingsbury to become the head coach.
Kingsbury was offered the job in the afternoon and Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced the news with a video posted on Twitter not long after.
"Wreck 'em Tech," Kingsbury said in the video, giving the school's Guns Up sign when the camera panned to him.
Kingsbury coached Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel this year and was the first in a string of record-setting quarterbacks for the Red Raiders under former coach Mike Leach.
He has never been a head coach and at 33, he'll be one of the youngest in major college football.
Kingsbury succeeds Tommy Tuberville, who left unexpectedly last week to take the Cincinnati job. Red Raiders fans never warmed to Tuberville. Texas Tech still emphasized the passing game and the spread offense, but many of Tech fans had a hard time getting past the firing of the popular Leach.
There's no doubt about what kind of offense the Red Raiders will run now. Kingsbury has been part of some of the most prolific offenses in the country the past few years. Texas A&M is third in the nation in total offense at 552 yards per game.
Kingsbury followed Kevin Sumlin to A&M from Houston, where he mentored quarterback Case Keenum and the 2011 Cougars led the nation in total offense, passing offense and scoring.
He is a Texas native from New Braunfels. Drafted by the New England Patriots in 2003, Kingsbury played for five NFL teams.
The past two seasons have seen the Red Raiders slide down the stretch. This year they lost four of their last five games and in 2011 they dropped five straight to close the season for the program's first losing season since 1992.
The Red Raiders play Minnesota in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Dec. 28 in Houston. Chris Thomsen, who led the offensive line under Tuberville, will coach the bowl game.
Arkansas State hires Texas OC Harsin: Texas co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin hopes to bring some stability to Arkansas State as its new coach.
Harsin was introduced as the new coach of the Red Wolves on Wednesday - one day after he agreed to leave the Longhorns and replace former Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn.
The 35-year-old will begin work immediately with the Red Wolves and won't coach Texas during the Alamo Bowl against Oregon State.
The Longhorns will turn over play-calling duties to co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.
Original Print Headline: Kingsbury hired at Texas Tech
