Texas Tech ranks within Top 25 in preseason Coaches Poll

The Texas Tech football has landed in the preseason Coaches Poll top 25 for just the second time since the 2008-09 season. The Red Raiders ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll, tied with the 2023-24 season for the program's best preseason ranking in the last 17 seasons.

While all the hype has been made about Texas Tech's offseason moves, bringing in one of the top transfer portal classes in the country, the team set a standard last season, from which the 2025 squad is looking to build.

In the program's 100th season, Texas Tech finished 6-3 in Big 12 play and had one of the most productive offenses in the country, scoring over 37 points per game and averaging over 460 yards of offense. However, on the defensive side, the numbers were very similar. The Red Raiders allowed nearly 35 points per game and conceded over 460 yards of offense.

After the season, the Red Raiders brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators. Mack Leftwich takes over on offense after Zach Kittley received a head coaching gig at Florida Atlantic, and Shiel Wood captains the defense after Tim DeRuyter was let go on Dec. 1, 2024.

With the new additions to the coaching staff , top transfer talent like edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height, offensive lineman Howard Sampson, and running back Quinten Joyner, and returning players like linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year), and the excitement for the football season is real in Lubbock, Texas.

Texas Tech was one of five Big 12 programs in the preseason top 25; they ranked behind Arizona State (No. 11), Kansas State (No. 20), Iowa State (tied for No. 21), and BYU (No. 23). The Red Raiders were also fourth among Texas schools, behind Texas (No. 1), SMU (No. 16), and Texas A&M (tied for No. 21).

After receiving preseason recognition just once in the last decade and a half, this is a big step in the right direction for the Red Raiders. However, Texas Tech has not finished a season in the top 25 of any poll (coaches, AP, or College Football Playoff) since the Mike Leach era, finishing the season ranked five times in six seasons from 2004 through 2009.

With 23 wins, 16 conference wins, and three bowl appearances in three seasons under Joey McGuire, the future is bright for Texas Tech football.

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