From Inside the Red Raiders
Head Coach Matt Wells said during his National Signing Day press conference last week that the offense needed to get back to a Texas Tech brand of football and boy he really meant that, as former Red Raider quarterback and assistant coach Sonny Cumbie has been hired as the new offensive coordinator quarterbacks coach.
“The direction that we have to move on offense has got to be back to the Texas Tech brand of football,” Wells said. “We’ve got to be explosive. I want us to be dynamic in terms of our down the field passing game and (an offense that) targets the receivers the way that we need to.”
Most Red Raider fans are likely very familiar with Cumbie, who joined Texas Tech as a walk-on quarterback in 2000 out of Snyder High School. Cumbie soon earned a scholarship, bided his time before taking over the QB1 spot in 2004 as a senior when he led Mike Leach’s potent Air Raid attack. Cumbie led the nation in passing with 4,732 yards to go with 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions as the Red Raiders finished with a 7-4 regular season record. What Cumbie is remembered most for as a player is leading No. 23 Texas Tech over the Aaron Rodgers-led No. 4 California Bears in the Holiday Bowl, 45-31. Cumbie threw for 520 yards and three touchdowns en route to earning Offensive MVP honors.
“I am extremely excited to be head back to Lubbock and Texas Tech,” said Cumbie in a release from Texas Tech Athletics. “I’m looking forward to working with Coach Wells, the staff at Texas Tech and the players there. Guns Up!”
Cumbie returned to Texas Tech the first time in 2009 when he served as a grad assistant under Mike Leach. He would be promoted to inside receivers coach later by then head coach Tommy Tuberville and was the only assistant retained by the next head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, in 2013 in which Cumbie served as co-offensive coordinator with Eric Morris. Cumbie has spent the last seven years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with in-state Big 12 rival TCU.
“The bottom line is we got to get back to Texas Tech and the brand of football here that everybody in this community and really me, as I took this job two years ago, really my memories, and me of… that’s why Behren Morton’s playing catch with Graham (Harrell) and Crab (Michael Crabtree). All the excellent quarterbacks that have come through here. We’ve got to get back to that. That’s our roots, and I own that and we need to and we will.”
A Texas Tech spokesman has confirmed Cumbie is Texas Tech’s new offensive coordinator, but contract details have not yet been announced. Stay tuned to Inside the Red Raiders as we update this story.
