Texas Tech University Athletics
McGuire selected as finalist for George Munger Award
December 08, 2025 | Football
Joey McGuire was one of four finalists for the Maxwell Football Club’s top collegiate coaching honor Monday
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire was named one of four finalists Monday for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club.
The Red Raiders have reached new heights this season under McGuire, who was joined on the George Munger Award finalists list by Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Texas A&M's Mike Elko and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea. The Maxwell Football Club will announce its 2025 collegiate winner on Dec. 30, two days prior to Texas Tech's appearance in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.
McGuire has built a College Football Playoff contender behind one of the most balanced rosters in college football as the Red Raiders enter bowl season ranked in the top five nationally for total offense (480.3 yards per game), total defense (254.4 yards allowed per game), scoring offense (42.5 points per game) and scoring defense (10.9 points allowed per game). The Red Raiders are currently the only school in the country to rank in the top five in all four categories, all while leading the FBS in both rushing defense (68.5 yards per game) and takeaways (31).
That balance has made Texas Tech one of the most-dominant teams in recent history on its way to a 12-1 record thus far, with all 12 wins coming by at least 20 points. The Red Raiders are joined by Alabama in 2018 as the only teams in the Associated Press era (since 1936) to record 12 or more wins by 20-plus points prior to a bowl game.
Texas Tech picked up its 12th win by that margin this past Saturday after topping BYU, 34-7, in the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship. It marked the first Big 12 title in school history for the Red Raiders and their first outright conference crown since winning the Border Conference in 1995.
The victory over BYU kept the Red Raiders at No. 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, setting up a matchup with either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madison in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day. This is Texas Tech's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff and first trip to Miami for the Orange Bowl.
The Red Raiders have been the winningest Big 12 programs under McGuire as Texas Tech has won 25 conference games in his four seasons, the most for any league school during that span. The Red Raiders are 35-17 overall under McGuire, which is the most wins by a Texas Tech head coach through 52 games since Pete Cawthon was 36-14-1 at the same point in his tenure from 1930-40.
McGuire was previously named the AFCA Region Six Coach of the Year a few weeks ago and is also on the watch lists for the Dodd Trophy and Bear Bryant Awards.
