Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has never been one to hide from a fight, and his latest comments only add to that reputation.
After publicly supporting former Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby through an eligibility battle tied to a gambling suspension, McGuire is now talking openly about another flashpoint in college football: whether programs should add players who have already spent time in the NFL.
Speaking this week, McGuire made clear that Texas Tech has been paying attention.
“We’ve been monitoring for the last week or so, how we can add, if possible, somebody to make this team better,” he said. “We haven’t called any NFL coaches. We haven’t scouted any NFL players, that I think some teams have done, but we’re definitely gonna look.”
The comments come as a handful of former NFL signees try to return to the college game. LSU recently reached deals with tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, both of whom spent time with NFL clubs this offseason before landing back in the transfer portal.
Wright had signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, was claimed by the Cleveland Browns, and then was waived. Harris had signed a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.
Power conferences are moving fast to shut the door. The SEC and Big Ten adopted policies this week meant to keep professional athletes from joining their programs and to punish schools that try.
Notre Dame has been reported as supportive of the approach, and the ACC is expected to take up the issue. The Big 12, Texas Tech’s league, was widely expected to follow with a similar ban within a day or two after athletic directors met and lined up behind the idea.
McGuire is not pretending the legal picture is simple.
“You know what’s coming next: Those players are gonna sue the conference. So what do you do? I was checking with our guys today: what’s the Big 12 gonna do? It’s going to be interesting,” he said.
Wright’s attorney has already pointed to a Louisiana injunction as a possible basis to challenge conference-wide restrictions, and some legal observers have suggested the new policies could collide with existing court orders.
College football’s rules have rarely looked this unsettled. Rosters, eligibility, and conference power are all being rewritten in real time, and coaches are being asked to win while the ground keeps shifting.
McGuire’s answer is blunt. Texas Tech wants a national championship, and he knows how his job security is measured. “I know this: I get to keep my job if I win, and so I’m gonna constantly look at how we can be better as a team, and be better roster-wise.”
Whether the Big 12 ultimately bars NFL returners, or whether the courts force the issue open again, McGuire has already said what matters most to him in Lubbock: he will keep looking for ways to make the Red Raiders better.
