Joey McGuire recaps Texas Tech football rout of WVU, rips CFP committee
The Texas Tech football team blew out West Virginia in a regular-season finale. Joey McGuire also stood up for the Big 12 in the eyes of CFP committee
The Texas Tech football program is set to hire University of Houston defensive coordinator Shiel Wood to the same position on coach Joey McGuire’s staff, according to a report Tuesday by 247Sports and CBS Sports.
Wood, 42, has been a defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator at five schools, during which time he’s overseen safeties and linebackers. He worked the past two seasons under Willie Fritz, at Tulane in 2023 and at Houston this past season.
Wood would replace Tim DeRuyter, whom Tech dismissed on Sunday, the day after the Red Raiders‘ regular-season finale.
A Texas Tech spokesman could not immediately confirm the report.
Houston finished 4-8 this season, but held opponents to a just less than 23 points per game, which ranks 48th in scoring defense among 133 FBS teams. In total defense, the Cougars are 26th, holding opponents to slightly less than 325 yards per game.
Tulane finished 11-3 in 2023, and Wood’s defense ranked among the top 30 in the FBS in eight statistical categories. Troy went 12-2 in 2022, and Wood’s unit ranked among the top 25 in the FBS in five statistical categories. Army finished 9-3 and led the nation in total defense in 2020 with Wood coaching inside linebackers and finished 9-4 with a top-20 ranking in total defense and rushing defense in 2021 when Wood was co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Wood has South Carolina roots. He played wide receiver at Wofford from 2001-05. After one year as a high-school coach, he returned to Wofford to coach wide receivers (2007-10), then safeties (2011-12 and 2016) before being promoted to defensive coordinator (2017).
He also worked at Georgia Tech (safeties/special teams in 2018) and Georgia State (special teams/inside linebackers in 2019) before his stops at Army, Troy, Tulane and Houston.
Tech has been in the market for two coordinators since DeRuyter’s dismissal and Florida Atlantic hiring Red Raiders offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to be the Owls’ head coach.
On other fronts, two more Tech scholarship players have announced plans to have their names in the NCAA transfer portal when the 20-day window opens on Monday. Backup quarterback Jake Strong made his intention public late Monday and backup receiver Brady Boyd did the same on Tuesday.
