LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas Tech head football coach Joey McGuire introduced ‘The Brand’ to a national audience on Nov. 9, 2021.
It was the start of a rebuild for a football program that had just endured five consecutive losing seasons prior to McGuire’s arrival.
“We are going to be the toughest, hardest working, most competitive team in the country,” McGuire said during his introductory news conference in 2021. “That is our brand.”
Robert Giovannetti, Tech’s senior associate athletics director, says getting McGuire in the door was crucial for the team’s future success.
“I’ve seen videos now of when he was coaching high school and he’s the same guy now as he was when he was winning three state championships at the high school level,” Giovannetti said. “This is just who he is. He just is a high-energy guy, a player coach, a guy that’s really all about relationships and when you think about it, that’s what west Texas and Texas Tech and Lubbock and the community. That’s what we’re about.”
Hiring McGuire was step one. Step two was making sure current and incoming players had the same mindset, do your job and do it the best way you can, both on and off the field.
“There’s been a lot of talk about what’s happening at Texas Tech, the money spent on the roster and all those things are true, right?” Giovannetti said. “We spent money in the transfer portal, we went out and got some of the pieces needed, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t have the infrastructure and the culture in place.”
From there, it was all about showing the brand in physical form. From the new south endzone and upgrade to the double T scoreboard, to the partnership change to Adidas in 2024, which came together thanks to a big time tech ambassador in Patrick Mahomes.
The big game changer came earlier this year, when the $242 million dollar Womble Football Center was officially introduced to the team.
“They see right from the start, it’s all about my development as a player and as a person,” Giovannetti said. “It’s got the largest weight room, it’s the largest continuous football facility in the country. They can literally go from the coaches office to our indoor practice facility without ever having to step outside. I think it shows a tremendous commitment of Texas Tech to the success of this program.”
Inside the program, Texas Tech’s 2025 season is not the pinnacle. It’s a year that can be built upon and ‘The Brand’ is looking strong ahead of its biggest games in program history.
“This is just the stepping stone for what’s going to happen in the future, and I think everyone’s going to benefit from that,” Giovannetti said. “The entire community, the Texas Tech community, the west Texas community will benefit from that.”
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