There are not a lot of opposing coaches in the Big 12 who know the Kansas football program and recent history like Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire.
When the Jayhawks went to the Orange Bowl, McGuire was the head coach at Cedar Hill High School. He coached players who played for the Jayhawks.
McGuire was the guest speaker at KU Football Coaches Clinics and made several trips to Lawrence in his high school coaching days. This weekend he will lead Texas Tech against Kansas on Saturday night.
He watched the Jayhawks become bowl eligible and said it could be the start of big things to come.
“I don't want to go as far yet, but I think you could compare what Bill Snyder, what he did,” McGuire said of the Kansas State coaching legend. “It's hard to compare because he did it for such a long period of time, which I believe Lance can definitely do. I had three players on that (KU) 2008 Orange Bowl team, and I know Coach Mangino really well. So, I saw what he did and then I saw four coaches after that not be able to do what Lance has done.”
A lot of people call what Snyder did in Manhattan the greatest turnaround in college football. McGuire believes Leipold could follow behind.
“Five years from now, we might say this is either the first or second biggest turnaround in college football,” he said. “I definitely, probably will say the second. I don't know how you can say K State's not the first.”
McGuire has communicated with Leipold over time. McGuire was an assistant at Baylor when Leipold became friends with Matt Rhule, who was the head coach during that time. McGuire said Rhule and Leipold were friends and that is how he first knew the Jayhawks head coach.
When KU beat Oklahoma State last week, McGuire sent Leipold a text message.
“He and I, over the last couple years, have texted a lot,” McGuire said. “I sent him a text after they became bowl eligible and congratulated him. The job that he's done there is absolutely incredible. The culture that he's creating after two years and having that team bowl eligible is pretty impressive. And he’s just a great guy.”
Scouting the Jayhawks
McGuire admitted he does not know who the quarterback will be for Kansas when they meet in Lubbock. McGuire is known for his recruiting in Texas, and he remembers Jason Bean coming out of high school.
“Offensively, they've played two quarterbacks,” McGuire said. “We're not really sure who we're going to get between the two, but both of them create plays with their feet. They do a great job. They don't run them as probably as much as true triple option, but they do run them enough to where they're a threat.
“Bean had a huge touchdown against Oklahoma State last week. He's got great speed. I know him from high school. He's from Mansfield, Lake Ridge, and ran track. I mean, he's got legit track speed. It's really good.”
McGuire talked about Devin Neal in his press conference and said they will face another good running back. Neal was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
“Their running back, total yardage, had 338 yards against Oklahoma State,” he said. “Really good football player, and in the open field can make you miss. But that's kind of like this conference, man. We're playing great running backs every week. We just got through playing one.”
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