At local media day this past Tuesday, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire confronted the biggest topic on everyone’s mind: the pressure and challenges facing the program this season. With high expectations mounting, a reported $28 million-plus roster spend and the ability to lure top talents, they now even have a top official planted at the freaking White House. In the background of NIL fireworks and transfer portal turbulence, McGuire and his backers aren’t just swinging big. That has brought a lot of eyeballs to it.

Count David Pollack among the impressed. On 365 Sports, the ESPN analyst didn’t sugarcoat his reaction to what’s brewing in Lubbock. “Well, I mean, Texas Tech obviously in the offseason has done an incredible job and they didn’t just go get guys that everybody’s like, you know, that that’s a good fit for Texas Tech. They got a bunch of guys that wanted to go anywhere they could have gone, like that were lining up that are elite players that would have played anywhere in the country. So, I think that Texas Tech—it feels good, it feels right,” Pollack said. “Obviously, Joey McGuire is an incredible man, an incredible coach… along with Cody Campbell and the boosters jumping on board and supporting the team. They had a plan. So, they then they went and got it. Like, that’s a smart deal.”

With roster depth across the board and a senior class that has embraced McGuire’s culture-first blueprint, this is a team not short on belief—or investment. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Joey McGuire knows the buzz comes with baggage. That’s why he’s leaning into leadership lessons from unexpected sources, including his own players. One of them, LB Jacob Rodriguez, recently passed along a book that struck a nerve: The Mindset of a Champion by David Cook.

“He’s talking about how people become successful, and part of that is being mentally tough,” McGuire said. “And part of being mentally tough is being able to handle the pressure. Right now, that’s kind of a big word, because you’ve got all these expectations of this roster and everything that is going on, and how do you handle that? Well, you embrace it.”

McGuire’s refusal to blink in the face of hype is what separates him in the current landscape. While most coaches play not to lose when expectations grow, he’s preaching process over panic. “I just want these guys to understand the process versus the results. We can’t get in our own way of feeling like the weight of the world is on our shoulders,” McGuire explained. “Position-wise I feel great, there is a lot of competition going on and I feel good about the coaching staff.” Translation? Don’t ask about the win total. Ask about how hard they’re training in July.” 

Beyond the locker room, the power structure behind Texas Tech Red Raiders is flexing in more ways than just cash. Appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. It’s a serious nod from Washington and a symbolic one too. That kind of presence, paired with a coach who doesn’t shy away from pressure, makes Tech a threat in the Big 12.

Joey McGuire’s Olympus plant

In a move that blurs the lines between sports, politics, and big-time football ambition, Texas Tech University System Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell was appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in an announcement Thursday by President Trump. Campbell isn’t just another suit. He’s Red Raider royalty. A fourth-generation alum who once anchored Tech’s offensive line from 2001 to 2004, before spending two seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. His grit is homegrown, and his influence? Sprawling.

“There is no one in the country more fitting for this role than Cody Campbell,” Joey McGuire said. “He wears his passion for intercollegiate athletics on his sleeve and has worked tirelessly on solutions to protect student-athletes in every sport across the country. We’re proud he’s a Red Raider, and I can’t congratulate him and his family enough on this prestigious appointment.” For a program already flexing its financial might and recruiting dominance, this appointment adds national reach.