Football
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator / Running Backs
No stranger to the state of Texas, Kenny Perry was one of Joey McGuire’s first hires when he accepted the Texas Tech position prior to the 2022 season. In the three seasons since, Perry has already tutored Texas Tech’s all-time leading rusher in Tahj Brooks as well as the school’s career record holder for punting average in Austin McNamara and the single-season record holder for field goal percentage in Gino Garcia.
Perry served as both Texas Tech’s special teams coordinator and running backs coach in each of his first three seasons on staff, helping push the Red Raiders to three bowl appearances and 16 wins during Big 12 Conference play. During that stretch, Texas Tech and Kansas State are the only two Big 12 schools with a winning league record in each of the past three seasons, regardless of conference affiliation. Perry will continue to oversee the Red Raiders’ special teams as he enters his fourth season, while remaining a key voice in the offensive staff room.
Perry brings a similar background as McGuire as both were successful head coaches in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex before joining the collegiate ranks. He boasts more than 20 years of coaching experience, including 14 as a high school head coach and then more than a decade at the college level with stops at TCU, Kansas, SMU and now Texas Tech.
In only three short seasons, Perry has transformed Texas Tech’s special teams into one of the most-consistent units in the country behind McNamara, a pair of kickers in Trey Wolff and Garcia as well as a game-changing returner in Drae McCray. That success – a key element in Texas Tech’s weekly Plan to Win document – has pushed the Red Raiders to three-consecutive seasons with at least five Big 12 wins, matching the longest streak in school history.
Texas Tech has consistently ranked inside the top 20 of multiple special teams categories throughout Perry’s tenure, finishing sixth for kickoff return defense (15.6) and eighth for field goal percentage (91.7) during the 2024 season alone. The Red Raiders previously ranked inside the top 20 of four special teams categories in 2023 after closing the season in second nationally for punt return average (19.5), sixth in kick return average (25.5), 10th in blocked kicks (3) and 19th for net punting (41.5). The Red Raiders ranked ninth in 2022 for kick return defense and inside the top 25 for both blocked kicks and kick return average.
McNamara ended his illustrious career as the Red Raiders’ punter with a 45.91 career average, the highest in Texas Tech and Big 12 Conference history. His average ranked 10th in NCAA FBS history among punters with at least 150 career punts as McNamara also matched the FBS record by averaging at least 40.0 yards per attempt over 37 career games (minimum of four punts each game to qualify). McNamara averaged 46.3 yards per punt during his final season, marking his fifth mark that ranked in the top 10 in school history.
McNamara was tabbed the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year following the 2023 season, marking the first time a Red Raider has garnered the award. McNamara, a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, was also named to the All-Big 12 first team, making him the first Red Raider in program history to be recognized on the first team three times in a career. He later signed a free agent agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals organization.
In addition to McNamara, Perry has developed two consistent kickers during his tenure in Trey Wolff and Garcia. Wolff reemerged as Texas Tech’s primary field goal kicker during Perry’s first season in 2022, finding the uprights on 21 of his 25 attempts, which ranked second all-time by percentage in single-season school history at the time. Wolff was one of the most reliable kickers in college football, especially in key moments, as he had nine field goals that came with under a minute remaining in either the second or fourth quarters or in overtime. He had two game-winning kicks on the season, sending the Red Raiders to memorable come-from-behind victories over both Texas and Oklahoma for the first time in program history.
Garcia provided Perry with another consistent kicking option a year later as he connected on 16-of-22 attempts during the 2023 season, which included 9-of-10 tries during Big 12 play. Garcia, like Wolff, was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection that season after showcasing one of the nation’s biggest legs. Garcia became the first Red Raider in program history to connect on three field goals of at least 50 yards or longer in a season thanks to a 55-yarder versus TCU, a 54-yarder against Wyoming and a 51-yarder in the win over UCF.
Garcia followed by finding the uprights on 19-of-20 attempts during the 2024 season, setting the Texas Tech single-season record for field goal percentage. Garcia ranked fourth in the FBS for field goal percentage and had the second-highest clip among kickers with at least 15 attempts as he earned All-Big 12 second team honors by the league coaches. Garcia also set the Texas Tech record for consecutive field goals made with 16 during the 2024 season en route to closing his career ranked ninth for career made attempts.
All this is not to mention Perry’s work as Texas Tech’s running backs coach, either, where he mentored the school’s all-time leading rusher in Brooks.
Brooks snapped Byron Hanspard’s career rushing record late in the 2024 season as he finished with 4,557 yards, the most all-time by a Red Raider. That total ranked fourth all-time in Big 12 history, trailing only the Texas duo of Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams and Kansas State's Darren Sproles. Brooks also set the Texas Tech career records for 100-yard games with 23 and rushing attempts with a workload of 879 carries over his career. He is also the Texas Tech single-season leader with 11 different 100-yard games in 2024.
Brooks turned into one of college football’s most-consistent rushers under Perry as he was one of only three FBS players and the lone one from the Big 12 Conference to combine for at least 3,000 rushing yards over the 2023-24 seasons. Over that stretch, Brooks recorded 22-consecutive games with at least 95 rushing yards, the longest streak for any FBS rusher dating back to 1996. He rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 of those games, all while ranking among the nation's top pass blockers with only three career sacks allowed in 287 pass blocking opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.
Brooks became the first Red Raider in school history to rush for 1,500 in multiple seasons as he concluded his 2024 senior season with 1,505 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in only 11 games to lead Texas Tech to six Big 12 wins, its most since 2009. In the process, he became only the third Big 12 player in history and the 48th FBS player since 1956 to record multiple 1,500-yard seasons. In addition, he was the first power conference rusher to total 1,500 rushing yards in 11 games or less since D'Onta Foreman of Texas in 2016. He previously rushed for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns as part of a breakout season in 2023 where he earned All-Big 12 first team honors.
The Red Raiders had not previously boasted a running back with at least 1,500 rushing yards in a season since Ricky Williams in 1998 prior to Brooks’ memorable 2023 campaign. He previously split carries with SaRodorick Thompson in his first season under Perry in 2022 as the duo combined for 1,375 yards and 14 touchdowns to become only the fourth pair of Red Raiders in the Big 12 era to both rush for at least 600 yards in a season. Behind a steady running attack, Texas Tech ranked in the top 30 nationally for total offense, scoring offense as well as rushing touchdowns en route to an 8-5 season and a victory in the TaxAct Texas Bowl.
Perry arrived at Texas Tech after spending the 2020-21 seasons at SMU where he was a special teams quality control analyst his first year before being promoted to special teams coordinator for the 2021 campaign. SMU was a combined 15-7 during Perry’s two years on staff, which included a pair of bowl selections.
SMU, similarly, boasted one of the top special teams units in the country during the 2021 campaign as the Mustangs rank eighth nationally for both kickoff returns (27.3 yards per return) and tied for 10th for total blocked kicks after getting their hands on four as part of an eight-win season. The Mustangs were able to create several explosive plays in the return game thanks to Bryan Massey, who ranked second in the FBS for kick return average (34.3) en route to earning All-AAC second team honors.
Massey took two kickoffs all the way to the end zone as a sophomore as he matched the SMU single-season and career records, while also ranking tied for second in the FBS. His 686 total kickoff return yardage, meanwhile, finished 12th nationally and was the 11th-highest total in SMU history to cap a breakout season.
SMU’s special teams also featured one of the top kickers in the country during Perry’s tenure in Chris Naggar, who was the American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2020 as well as a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. Naggar connected on 17 of his 21 field goal attempts that season and 43-of-46 PATs as he ranked 19th in the FBS and led the AAC with 94 total points. Nagger closed the season one field goal shy of the SMU single-season record as he hit game-winning field goals against No. 24 Memphis and Tulane.
Perry made his way to SMU following a stint as the special teams coordinator for Bob Stoops and the Dallas Renegades during the XFL’s lone 2020 season as well as four seasons at Big 12 counterpart Kansas. Perry joined the Kansas staff as co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach in 2015, a role he remained in for two seasons before transitioning to special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the 2017-18 campaigns.
Kansas was Perry’s second Big 12 position as he started his collegiate career as the Director of High School Relations and Recruiting at TCU in 2013. Perry moved to an on-the-field role the following season, working with the TCU cornerbacks as the Horned Frogs finished 12-1 overall. TCU claimed a share of the Big 12 title that season and defeated No. 9 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl behind a defense that featured two of Perry’s standouts in second team Freshman All-American Ranthony Texada and second team All-Big 12 honoree Kevin White.
TCU landed Perry after he built a reputation as one of the top high school coaches in the state of Texas with successful runs at Sam Houston (2000-03), Haltom City (2004-05) and Arlington Bowie (2006-12). Perry compiled a 67-22 record during his seven seasons at Bowie alone, leading the Vols to the Class 5A playoffs each year. He was named the District Coach of the Year three times during his tenure and was tabbed the Dallas Morning News Coach of the Year in 2007.
Most importantly, Perry was highly-regarded among his peers as he was selected to the Board of Directors for the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) during his time at Bowie. He is also a past director of the North Texas High School Football Association.
Perry was a four-year letterwinner (1988-91) as a defensive back at the University of Houston before earning his degree in 1993. Perry was a cornerback his first two seasons as a Cougar before moving to safety his final two years. He also served as a graduate assistant for his alma mater from 1992-94, working with the special teams and defensive backs.
KENNY PERRY COACHING EXPERIENCE
2025 – Texas Tech Associate Head Coach (Special Teams Coordinator)
2022-24 – Texas Tech Associate Head Coach (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)
2021 – SMU Assistant Coach (Special Teams Coordinator)
2020 – SMU Special Teams Quality Control Analyst
2020 – Dallas Renegades Special Teams Coordinator (XFL)
2017-18 – Kansas Assistant Coach (Special Teams Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator)
2015-16 – Kansas Co-Defensive Coordinator (Cornerbacks)
2014 – TCU Assistant Coach (Cornerbacks)
2013 – TCU Director of High School Relations
2006-12 – Arlington Bowie Head Coach
2004-05 – Haltom City High School Head Coach
2000-03 – Sam Houston High School Head Coach
1992-94 – Houston Graduate Assistant (Special Teams/Defensive Backs)
