Joey McGuire commits to Texas Tech: ‘I'll be here for the rest of my life’

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire is as Texas as they come. The good news for the Red Raiders? He’s not planning to leave Lubbock anytime soon.

Speaking ahead of a monumental matchup for his team, McGuire made it clear he’s in it for the long haul: “Man, I’m a Texan. I ain’t never lived anywhere else,” McGuire said Friday via The Pat McAfee Show. “I was born in Texas, and I’ll die in Texas. Hopefully not anytime soon, but I’m gonna die a Red Raider. I’ll be here for the rest of my life.

“This town is built — this is a true college town. It’s built around this university. … Everywhere you go, you’re going to see the Double T. There’s a great pride in their football.”

As you can tell, McGuire has worked to embody that pride since taking over the Red Raiders program, building a culture that reflects both his personality and the passion of the Texas Tech fan base. This season, and this week especially, that energy is reaching another level.

“This is why you coach, man. This is awesome,” McGuire said regarding the team’s upcoming showdown with BYU, via Jordan Epp of Sports Illustrated. “It’s one of those games that, man, you look at, it’s what football is all about. It’s going to be really physical.”

With ESPN’s College GameDay in town, Lubbock is once again in the national spotlight, and that’s something McGuire doesn’t take for granted: “There’s a reason College GameDay is here. It’s the best game in the country. I think it’s going to be the most physical game in the country,” McGuire added.

“I think it’s awesome for our students, that’s what I think is really cool. I think it’s great for our brand. I think it’s great for our university.”

As fans line up and students camp outside to secure their spots for kickoff, McGuire can’t help but reflect on what makes college football special: “My job is to get this team ready to go play football and win a game,” he said. “But I will tell you this: it is really cool to walk out of the office last night and see students camping out because whenever they’re my age, that’s what they’re going to remember.”

No. 7 BYU takes on No. 8 Texas Tech at 12 p.m. ET on ABC. With ESPN giving it the College GameDay treatment, McGuire recognizes this is going to be a special showdown, and one that fans aren’t going to want to miss, for sure.