Texas Tech has a Matt Wells problem

Matt Wells was supposedly a special teams kind of guy. Tech has had more disasters on special teams than positive plays.

Matt Wells was supposed to eliminate the discipline problems and bring back fundamentally sound football. The offensive line routinely commits mental mistakes, and Tech had multiple snaps on defense with 10 guys or they just were not lined up.

Matt Wells was going to build a culture at Tech, something all the players can buy into. I don’t know about you, but it sure doesn’t look like the guys are buying what he is selling.

I am not advocating Tech make a midseason firing, in fact I would never advocate for it unless Tech is just losing out. The season is young with lots of potential and a midseason tear down just creates more chaos. However, when the chips are being counted Matt Wells does not have a lot to defend himself with.

Is Tech the problem? After another blowout loss that is the question posed by the ESPN announcers as they searched for things to talk about.

From their vantage point, this is just such a hard job how could anybody blame Wells? As if Tech fans should just accept 4 win seasons as the norm, despite elite facilities and Power Five status. That statement was just nonsense, and insulting to a program that like any other is just a few changes away from being competitive.

Iowa State is a worse job than Tech, and they are established now as a program that can win regularly. SMU might be one of the worst jobs in the country with all the big boy competition around them, and they just claimed the Iron Skillet again.

The thing those programs have in common: a great coach. When Hocutt hired Wells I was skeptical from the start. How is this guy who was mediocre at Utah State going to rebuild a program like Tech? I have now watched as Wells racks up some of the worst losses and performances Tech has ever had. I am left with the thought that Wells just does not seem to have it. Like I said, the season is young but if you think he can flip the script what is your evidence to support it?

Tech is losing most of their starters and their most elite talent next season. Wells will be in year four very soon with nothing on the bench and yet another year of scrambling to collect transfers. But here is the rub for me, we just did this in year three with tons of returning talent thanks to the COVID eligibility rules.

I want to make very clear, I will root my tail off for Wells and this team every game. I am not rooting for his failure. I love this team and this university, but at some point it is okay to acknowledge we have a problem.

The problem is not talent, or facilities, or fan support. The problem is the guy wearing the headset. The problem is the guy who hasn’t managed games, or made good hires, or built any semblance of culture.

The problem is Matt Wells. He has the rest of the season to address the problem, or he will be out of a job sooner rather than later.