Texas Tech is lucky to have Mike Leach. He has provided the Red Raiders with unprecedented success on the gridiron, much-needed facility improvements, a growing fan-base, and a nice place in the national college football scene. It’s a great ‘fit’. But thanks to Tech’s stubborn Athletic Director Gerald Meyer, Leach’s tenure should come to an end soon–one way or another.
Leach may have ultimately agreed to a new contract, but the damage to recruiting will have lasting effects. After an all-too-public negotiating session between Tech and Leach, the college football world now has valid reason to believe that Leach wants out of Lubbock.
From all indications, the sticking point for Leach was that he wanted to able to interview without Tech’s permission. Meyer was even quoted as being irritated at the annual flirting–allegedly initiated by Leach and his representatives. He interviewed at Washington and was thought to be a candidate at Auburn. Both would have been an upgrade from the West Texas plains. What will be the next available upgrade? Virginia? Arizona or Arizona State?
Under Leach, Tech has built and sustained a program with an offensive system that has kept Tech in the national rankings year-in, year-out. But in order to really compete at the next level, the unconventional system is not enough. He needs more talent.
To Leach’s credit; he has been successful at recruiting players that fit his system. But to take that next step, he needs better players. The blow-out loss to OU and the failures to Alabama and Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl are examples that superior athletes will trump the ‘mad scientist’.
The 2008 season built enough credibility for Leach to try and go after some of those higher-caliber blue-chips. But thanks to Tech’s athletic administration and the negotiation-by-media, Bob Stoops and Mack Brown will be reminding these prospects of Leach’s perceived desire to get the hell out of Lubbock.
Publicly, Leach will say that he’s a Red Raider for life, that Texas Tech is the only place for him. But in the cut-throat world of college recruiting, rival coaches will be quick to remind these players of Leach’s perceived intentions.
With the threat of Leach leaving, the Red Raiders will have a hard time even being able to recruit the same caliber players that got them where they are now.
