texas tech football coach mike leach

I can see by the way you are looking at your computer screen that you don't believe me. That's ok, let me explain why Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach is a genius. It's not because of his record setting offenses or his unusual wit, it would take a genius to turn Texas Tech into a top level program. Mike Leach has done that.

Has he really done that or was it just one season?

It is more than just one season. Look at the program overall. Look at where it was in 2000 compared to where it is now in 2009. When Coach Leach arrived in Lubbock, the Texas Tech football team was ok but nothing to writer home about. Texas Tech could not compete with Texas and Texas A&M for recruits.

Speaking of Texas A&M there is no clearer picture of then and now than the Aggies. When Leach took over as the head man in Lubbock, Tech fans were hopeful that they might be able to steal a game here and there against A&M. Now, the very idea that Tech would lose to the lowly Aggies is foreign to the Tech fan base. They simply expect to not only win but dominate the Aggies every time they see them.

What about the rest of the conference?

Well, let's see...Texas is still a problem. Leach is only 2-7 against them. But everyone else really has nothing to brag about. Oklahoma certainly pasted Tech in Norman last year but the fact is that Tech is 2-2 over the last four years playing Oklahoma. The last two times Oklahoma has come to Lubbock, they have lost (once, costing them any chance at a national championship). Not even the most die hard Texas Tech fans thought they would really see the day that Texas Tech felt that could beat Nebraska on a consistant basis.

After you strip away of the quirky things that Mike Leach does you are left with some undeniable facts.

• Going into his tenth year in Lubbock, Leach has never had a losing season and has been to more bowl games than every other coach in tech history combined.
• Before Mike Leach, Texas Tech was an afterthought in their own conference, much less the national stage. They are now talked about on national radio shows and a case can be made almost annually why the Tech quarterback should get Heisman consideration.
• Since arriving in Oklahoma and moving on the Tech the next year, Mike Leach has changed the way the Big 12 plays offense.

Even with all of this, there is still one thing that shows how far Texas Tech has come. Just take a look at the recruiting trail. Sure Tech is still losing out most of the time to Texas and Oklahoma for the premiere players. But unlike in the past, Tech is in the conversation and every once in a while even beats out more well known schools for a four star recruit. Texas Tech is still behind in terms of talent, but Coach Leach is closing the gap.