01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Reporter:
The University of Cincinnati

is suing now Red Raider
Brendan Sorsby.

Cincinnati has sued former
quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

Cincinnati is suing
its former quarterback.

And the university says

he breached his two year
NIL contract.

The lawsuit stating that Sorsby
now owes a $1 million buyout.

Alleging that he breached his
NIL contract with the Bearcats

when he refused to pay
a $1 million exit fee.

Transferring
within the conference

getting a little bit ugly.

I felt it was real g*n flingery.

Yeah, the wild, wild west
and some unintended consequences

of this kind of new era
of college sports.

College football players
aren't just like NFL players.

They actually have
much more freedom.

There's very few guardrails
or holdups

that prevent players
from moving along.

Because of that, you have

what a lot of people
would call chaos.

Players are here today,
gone tomorrow.

I want to know
why he did not pay the buyout.

I want a quarterback
who pays his debts.

You're seeing players
go from one rival to another.

This is the new world
of college sports.

There is definitely
a sense of jealousy

among the Big 12 right now
toward Texas Tech.

Why was it Texas Tech that
got the leg up on everybody else

and these other schools
that are comparable

have been left behind?

Liquid gold.

[chuckles]

Photographer: Yeah, perfect.
Just like that.

Great. Now turn
to the side again.

Awesome and then turn
to the side for me.

This journey has been wild.

It's been
a lot of ups and downs.

The pressure
of being a quarterback

is a lot of different things.

You're constantly
under pressure.

You've been constantly
under a microscope

of, you know, everybody's
vision, everybody's eyes.

Let's sh**t a couple of, like,

tighter headshot sort of things.

You know, if the team does well,

you're getting all the praise.

If the team does terrible,
you lose a game,

you're getting all the blame.

Similar to the head coach,
I feel like, you know,

the head coach
and the quarterback

go kind of hand in hand
as far as, you know,

taking the blame,
taking accountability.

But I feel like it prepares you

for maybe other life situations

and circumstances
outside of the game.

Mom's gonna want to see this.

There you go. Yeah.
[all laugh]

All right, those ones are good.

He's such a great story.

I mean, the dude was 5-3

I think his sophomore year
in high school.

Nobody's recruiting him,

and now he will be

a number one draft pick
next year.

And if he has the year we think,

he's gonna be in New York
with the Heisman Trophy.

Brendan is an incredible player.

He will be
a first round draft pick.

Our ultimate goal

is to win a national
championship in football.

We convened
a number of other big donors,

and we said, look, guys,
we're going big,

and we're gonna do
everything that we can

to make that jump.

We had the number one
portal class in the country,

and not only did we have

the number one
portal class in the country,

but we got the kids
that we wanted.

But there's definitely
an odd dynamic

in giving a very young kid
a lot of money.

Paying coaches a lot of money,

we've been doing that
for a while,

but now we're paying players
a lot of money.

This is modern college football.

You have one school literally
suing a player for leaving

because you have
multi-year contracts,

out clauses, buyouts,
all of those things.

And really,
it's all about money.

Texas Tech has shown
that deep pocketed boosters

are the key to success
in the new revenue sharing era.

In the show me the money era
of college sports.

College sports is changing
at breakneck speed,

and you have to
be able to adapt.

The NIL investment has been huge

because it gets players
to the table,

and then Texas Tech
can show off,

look at our facilities.

Look at this.
Look at that.

Look at our coaching staff.

You can go
to the Big 12 Championship.

You can go to the NFL.

But it all starts with NIL.

You got to get 'em to the table.

You got to get 'em on campus.

You look at the history
of college sports

and who the Blue Bloods are,

there are different reasons
and different eras

why each one of them, you know,
became a Blue Blood, right?

You know, some of 'em,
it was just flat out

because they were able
to cheat really well

for a few years
and win a bunch of games.

You know, others,

it's because of where
they're geographically located

relative to,
you know, really good talent.

The intention
of the House settlement

was to have a hard salary cap.

It was $20.5 million last year
and 22 this year.

Well, I mean, teams are spending

close to $50 million
on their roster.

I think the most difficult thing

in the current environment

is that nobody really knows
what the rules are.

So that's what we have
endeavored to do,

is take advantage
of this chaotic state.

And I think at this point,
we've had enough success.

We've proven that is possible.

You know, a lot of people
would say,

looking from the outside in,

we went out and got
a bunch of mercenaries.

What I'm telling you inside

is that it's not
about the money,

it's not about the business,

it's about how much
we care about each other.

And so there's still that purity
of our relationship

and all about the football.

Dennis Quaid:
Texas Tech doesn't much care

what people think
or say about their program.

They know who they are
and what they want:

the National Championship.

And no matter
how much you spend,

you can't buy one.

You have to earn it.

And that starts here,

at spring practice.

We got Good Mood Sherry today.

We got Good Vibes Sherry.
He's back, baby.

All right. Wide trio,
stick F choice.

-We good?
-Yep.

Trio, Z-short, slice mesh.

You guys good on the slot?

Z-short, Z-line, and ram?

So you're bringing the Z
in motion,

he's hitting the mesh
on the move,

just like the one
you threw to J.J.,

but just out of slot.

Does that make sense
for everybody?

It probably does to someone

who doesn't know
what's going on in the offense.

Installing schemes,
honing technique,

and discovering
who you can count on.

It's a crucial stretch
in a short window.

I finally got him.

Jog casino.

Four steps.
You're the looper.

Rush to contact.
Four steps.

Jog it.

There you go. Good.

Lot of energy.
Lead us, man.

We will follow.

Lead us, man.
We will follow.

Lead us, man.

Every snap has
just one imperative:

compete.

Here we go. Let's go.
Hey, send it, son.

Hey, give me 11, 11, 11,
trio left, trio left, trio left.

Buzzard, buzzard, buzzard.

Set-set. Ready.

♪ Get me out
with what I need ♪

Got him.

Let's go.

Offense versus defense,
I mean, it's just competition.

The competition level is crazy.

Like, everybody's out there
grinding.

Like, you can tell
everybody really wants it.

♪ I don't really care ♪

♪ Like when you got
a woman and a man ♪

♪ Pressure and time ♪

It's a lot of trash talking
going back and forth.

We all want to be the best,

so let's just bring in
the practice level

and everything else.

Pads popping.

Like, the speed.

Speed definitely kicked up.

There's never a day
where it's just,

all right,
the offense won today.

No, it's, all right,
offense won this period.

Defense gonna come
back next period even harder.

Here, give me 12, 12, 12.

♪ I said
I'm running it back ♪

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Atta way.

There it is, TG.
There we go, kid.

Brendan Sorsby's
$4 million price tag

drew plenty of criticism.

Fast forward.
Good job, kid.

But the returns are already
starting to show.

But in football,
one man's breakthrough

can be another man's obstacle.

For backup quarterback
Will Hammond,

it's just the latest hurdle
to overcome.

-Ready?
-Yeah. How was class?

Great.

-He was dragging it out.
-Yeah, sure.

Every night
I'd go home and think like,

oh, yeah, I'm gonna
bend my own knee.

I'd go to sleep,
come up the next day,

and you'd be so fired up
to just crank it.

If you don't bend it,
I'll bend it for you, though.

That's real.

I mean, where's the lie?

No, there's no lie in that.

Injuries suck,
but they're not unheard of.

Guys like Tom Brady
and Joe Burrow

have come back from injuries

and, like, been at
the top of their game.

I just want to prove that, like,

I can get back
to the level I was at.

There's no value in feeling like

you're a victim of something

because at the end of the day,

like, everything that happens
in our life is for a reason.

Hammond's a homegrown talent,
a native Texan

who learned to play football
in his own backyard.

His older brothers
both played football.

They would play this game in
the backyard called punt return.

And the two older brothers
would punt,

and Will would take that ball

and try to get past
those brothers.

There were bumps and bruises,
and there was crying,

but he was tireless and fearless

in carrying that ball
through those brothers.

Every dad kind of has
this latent hope

that maybe he's gonna make it.

We developed a drill.

We call it 10 in the box.

It was me just standing,
holding my hands like this,

just like, you know, hit me
right here, kind of thing.

He's always just been
a real supportive dad.

Whoo-hoo!

[laughs]

He was always at
every practice, every game.

Nice.

Throwing with me
in the backyard,

supporting me throughout
my whole career growing up,

little league, middle school,
high school, college.

Coming out of high school,
my plan was basically

to sit behind Behren
for two years,

develop, and play year three.

But the mentality is just
you're one play away.

You always have to be ready.

Announcer: And that's going
to bring on Behren Morton.

Morton in trouble.

Wants to run it.

Needs to get down.

Whoa! Flag on the play.

Morton is hurt,
and with that in mind,

Behren Morton
goes out of the game.

Will Hammond in.

I was actually watching
from my mother in law's place,

and all of a sudden

it says, "Will Hammond,"
on the TV screen.

And I'm going, what?

Announcer: Will Hammond,
a freshman from Austin,

off the bench.

Throws.

Oh, what a catch!

Will came in, you know,

played absolutely lights out
in that Utah game,

and everyone saw
when this kid plays at his best,

this is what it could be.

And he's gonna be
really special.

Analyst: Showing some
serious moves right there.



Announcer:
And wide open. Touchdown!

Analyst:
You can see the love

that he's getting
on the sideline.

These guys knowing
that he can play,

and I know that that's why
they had confidence

to put the game in his hands.

When Behren
unfortunately got injured,

I was able to go out there
and play well and win the game.

The man! The man!
The dog!

It was impossible to ignore.

A freshman playing the game
like he had never known failure.

He was immune to fear,

but not fate.

We were playing against
Oklahoma State, second quarter.

Scrambled out,
running for the first down.

Announcer: Hammond
running up the middle.

And I just went to make a stick,

and my knee and ankle
kind of just buckled weird,

fell down.

Got back up, started
walking back to the huddle,

and I was like,
can't really walk right.

Something was wrong
with my knee.

It was like,
this feels different.

I didn't realize
that he was injured initially.

And this is part of the irony
of watching a game in a stadium.

It was 15 or 20 minutes
after he'd gone down

that he had
a bad and serious injury.

Reporter: Some breaking news
as ESPN confirmed

that Texas Tech
backup quarterback Will Hammond

will miss the remainder
of the season

with a torn ACL
in his right knee.

When we walked around
the end of the stadium

and met him walking back
into the football facility,

he was very matter of fact.

And, you know, he's like,
this is serious, you know.

But there wasn't a lot of tears
or emotion or anything.

It was like,
all right, what's next?

Just kind of take it
one day at a time, all right?

What do I need to do today
to get better,

prep for surgery,
and then post-surgery,

like, what's the best thing
I can be doing for myself,

whether it's rehab-wise
or treatment-wise?

Tomorrow will be 12 weeks
since surgery,

and I'm already up
jogging in the pool.

The dude's just a machine.

Like, he's a cyborg.

I wish I had


where, you know, he gets here
at 5:30 in the morning.

Same thing, toe up.
Let that band pull you back.

Good.

He'll go to class,
go to his, you know, lift,

go to meetings,
everything else like that.

And then, like, he'll come back

and, you know, do more treatment

where we almost have to kick
him out and say, hey, go home.

So 10 minute ramp primer.

There you go.
Starting it.

All right, here we go.
Ramp up.

Come on.

Get you a sweat.

Here we go.
Hard priming effort.

Go.

I think end of May, early June,

getting back on the field
fully cleared,

that'll give me
all of June and July

to do football, school,
and 7 on 7 with the team.

By the time August comes
and fall camp,

I'll feel like I didn't even
go through this process.

The Red Raider quarterbacks
get a lot of ink,

but the real story

might be the turnaround
on the other side of the ball.

For as long as anyone
can remember,

the defense has always been
the Achilles heel of the team.

In the broadcast booth,


defense wasn't what
we talked about for 26 of 'em.

Announcer: They're
one of the worst defenses

in the country last year.

In 2016,

I watched Arizona State
rush for seven touchdowns

in one football game
against Texas Tech.

In 2025, the Texas Tech defense
in the regular season

gave up five
rushing touchdowns period.

That's how it's changed.

Announcer: This Texas Tech
defense mightily improved.

This defensive line,
just relentless.

This is the year
the Red Raider D

can get them that elusive
Big 12 title.


in my opinion,

will never be forgotten

by Texas Tech fans
outside of West Texas

because Texas Tech
was in the top 10

in both offense and defense
last year.

Look around the country.
Who else can say that?

Work those arms. Go. Hit!

Keep going. Hit!

Get about three
or four reps. Hit!

Here we go.
Get your eyes on your target.

There you go. Hit!

Hit! Good.

Next man in.
Next man in.

Here we go.
Here we go. Here we go.

Well, I think the challenge
was apparent.

Unfortunately, there'd been some
struggles here defensively,

you know, prior to my arrival.

Here we go. Hit!

Look, I'll be
the first to tell you,

really good players make you
a much better football coach.

When you look at the draft,

three of those defensive linemen
plus Jacob Rodriguez

were really good linebackers.

You had four defensive players

go in the top 70 picks
of the draft,

including a top two pick
in David Bailey.

That's unprecedented
by Texas Tech standards.

It's really good
to be part of that team

that finally sets the precedent

that we play defense
in West Texas,

and our culture
has changed the way

that people buy into what we do
and how we do things.

Good. You're coming
to catch that spill right there.

Here we go. Reload.

Back left.
In, in, in, in, in, in.

We got a standard,

and, like, last year,
we set that standard

of, like, who we want to be
and who we are.

This year, everybody's
testing the water

because a lot of the guys
on this team,

they weren't here last year.

You got the back, Austin.
The back is yours.

Ben: But they know what
the coaches expect from them.

So this is cover four.

Let's look at it from this view.

So you got a two-by-two
right now back to the boundary.

So mentally,
what are we doing here?

We're bumping, right?

We can stay in a tight 30
with the Mike.

You got the left A-gap, Ben.

Jacob can walk out.
Is that right?

If he's walking out
with number two out of the box,

and are we jetting this thing?

Transferring into a new program
is never easy.

Linebacker Austin Romaine
is still learning all the steps.

Fortunately, he's a quick study.

Same formation.

You got a two-by-one.

I think with any new player,
it's always interesting

when you know you've got a guy
that's got a great skill set.

But early on in the process,
they're learning what to do

within the scheme
that you're running.

For Austin,
a guy like John Curry,

a guy like Ben Roberts
that have been through it

are gonna be able
to help educate him.

That's it. Good.

Austin fits in, you know, great.

He's the third guy.

I mean, we've always had
three of us,

like, throughout
me and Ben's entire careers.

So, like, Austin
being that third guy,

he's just awesome
to have around.

Here we go.
Back four.

I feel like with John and Ben,

their roles
are pretty interchangeable.

They can be the guy that
tells you what you need to hear,

and then they can be the guy
that bring you up

and have positive encouragement.

But it's difficult
when there's only guys

that you've really only known
for a couple months.

At my old place,
I was with those guys.

We were freshmen together.

And it's a little different now

with being one of the guys
immersed into their program.

And it's like you got to step up

for these guys that have been
with each other

for their program
for three years.

I sympathize with him

because going from
two different defensive staffs,

I had to adjust my vocabulary.

But he's getting it down.

His voice is getting louder,

and he's starting
to step into that role

that he was placed into.

Coming to West Texas means more
than learning a new playbook.

It's about
embracing the culture.

The defensive line

are headed to town
to find the right duds.

Uh-huh.

-Let's do it.
-Yes, sir, yes, sir.

How you doing, man?

I'm doing good.
How about you guys?

Good.

-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you too.

-A.J. Holmes.
-Edward.

-Mateen.
-Julien Laventure.

-Nice to meet you, man.
-Crush.

-Crush?
-Yes, sir.

You crushing 'em?

[all laugh]

Mateen, you got to get you
a hat first, bro.

-A hat?
-Yeah, yeah.

I never wear
a cowboy hat before.

They got merch.
See how I look.

Bro, that's not
a cowboy hat, bro.

-It's not?
-No.

What is it?
[all laugh]

Okay, who wants to start?

I'll try one on.

Hey, there we go.

Come on.

-Fit about right?
-Yeah.

I wear something like this.

It's just that
it's in my hair a little bit.

[wolf whistle]

-That's far down as it goes?
-Mm-hmm.

That looks about right.

I'm just having fun.

You know, I've never been
to a store like this

with the cowboy boots,
cowboy hat right here.

I'm feeling brand new today.

Draw, bro.

I might come out
looking like this.

You be looking
like Little Rascals

when they had went to the bank.

No, I can rock this.

Man, you just,
you got to get the feel.

You got to feel like you belong.

Man, you got to feel
like a cowboy, you know?

You got to feel the culture
and stuff.

So I feel like
that's very important,

especially around here,
you know, in the South Texas.

They're big on all that.

So I feel like I got to be part
of that for a minute, you know?

I got to get
my cowboy boots though.

That's good.
Mm, good.

I see you.

Mateen too slow.

Hey, hey, this is my first time.

I'm trying to make a point, man.

We're styling though.

I'll be out there with,
you know, Mateen

and A.J. and Bryce,
you know, Crush.

Those guys are all
important to each other.

You know, become the brand,
become a brotherhood,

have that unique bond.

[laughs]

You address me as Django
from now on.

-[laughs]
-Know that my name not Julian.

My name Django.
[all laugh]

I go by Django.

-Django.
-Let's go, boys.

[laughs]

All hat, no cattle
don't work in West Texas.

Time to make like a local.

♪ Come on, come on,
when we ride, we ride ♪

♪ Push 'em up, let 'em see
you moving side to side ♪

♪ Now get up, come on,
when we ride, we ride ♪

♪ Push 'em up, let 'em see
you moving side to side ♪

Man, I'm so excited
to see my first rodeo.

They got a horseshoe
and everything?

Yeah.

I would describe a rodeo

as, like, has
an interesting smell, for one.

Being away from home, I mean,

I really like
the culture of the cowboys

and stuff like that because
it's swagged out for real.

Whoo!
[cheering]

[rodeo announcer indistinct]

Oh! Ooh!

Oh!

Oh!

♪ Push 'em up, let 'em see
you moving side to side ♪

♪ Get up, get up,
because we riding high ♪

♪ Push it to the top,
never ask me why ♪

Yo, look, bro,
them dudes is wild, man.

Texas, you know,
like, it's a culture shock,

especially coming from Maryland.

♪ Never ask me why ♪

It's just a shell shock to me.

And, you know, when
you go around the community,

you come to appreciate

how different people are
down here.

Nah, he did great.

And it's a really good feeling

when you're part
of that culture.

-What you doing?
-What's up, man?

Yeah.

Nice to meet you. Mateen.
Nice to meet you. Mateen.

You know, everybody's
respectful, nice.

They just love
their football around here,

and it just makes you feel
loved and appreciated.

Sweet, man.
Thank you.

No doubt, bro.
No doubt.

Appreciate y'all.
Appreciate y'all.

First time I stepped in here,
I felt like I was at home.

Texas, you know, I love it here.

Good morning, good morning,
good morning.

All right. Pull up the
spring game for me, please.

Okay. So we'll have
a quick team meeting

just to remind 'em, you know,

this is the first time
that we're all together,

that they see us.

It's gonna be great.

So the defense
is gonna be in all gray.

In Mahomes all gray.

And then the offense
will be in gray, white, gray.

It looks good.

Quarterbacks are gonna be in...

Black, red, black.

Black, red, black, so that'll
be good for those guys.

I mean,
I'm gonna make this point.

This is gonna be the first time

that this team,
suited out in game uniforms,

have gone down
to Jones AT&T Stadium.

Like, this is the first time
we've been in the stadium.

And we haven't practiced
one time in the stadium

in spring football.

So remind 'em.
I'll remind 'em about that.

Kenny, you'll have a quick
meeting there of special teams.

Unit, position,
it's up to you guys.

Like, as quick as you want
to have it, you know,

and then they'll go down
and get taped.

The conversation
around Texas Tech

tends to focus on
their highly talented players,

but behind the scenes,
Tech also boasts

an entire room full
of expert coaches and staff,

one of whom
has known Coach McGuire

since the day he was born.

When it comes to being
the head coach at Texas Tech...

What dopes it mean
being a new coach?

Oh, yeah.
I'm not the head coach.

That's good.
Sorry, Dad.

I always knew I wanted to coach.

When I was in second grade,
we had to do a project, right?

And everyone talks about,
you know,

I want to be in the NFL.

I want to be in the MLB.

I want to be in the NBA.

I said I wanted to be
a football coach,

and that
was just because of my dad.

-Who's house?
-My house!

-Who's time?
-My time!

-Who's house?
-My house!

Let's go! Come on!

All right! Yeah!

Dumb and dumber.

Well, I think he just saw
the way that Joey did things,

and it just was in his genes.

It was ingrained.

He just is, like,
almost stupid smart

of football knowledge
up in his brain.

He was able, you know,
to be the wide receiver coach

for the University of Nebraska,

where he was the youngest
position coach

in all of college football.

Joey told me
for six months straight

how happy he was
that Garret was here

and how much better
it made him feel.

Joey: It helps a lot
to have him in the building

because, you know,
he really is the guy

that that's his DNA.

What we're trying to do,
that's all he knows how to do.

Yep.

-Right guard.
-61.

-Yep.
-And then 21.

Yep. Got it.

Getting the best
from your players

isn't always as simple
as it sounds.

McGuire knows
there is a psychology to it.

Ultimately, though,
it boils down to one thing:

discipline.

Keep challenging,
like, how good...

like, right now, are you
an expert at this offense?

Like, just keep challenging.

I've always kind
of tried to, you know,

just finding ways to push
different guys buttons.

We call it controlled chaos,
you know,

put different people
in different situations.

And no more time outs.


They're in field goal range
right now, okay?

So we're playing
to force a field goal

or take the ball away right now.

Like, some of the chaos
of calling a sack

that may be wasn't a sack.

[blows whistle] Sack!

Alert over.

Set-set. Ready.

And then seeing
how the quarterback reacts.

You know,
is he gonna to get upset

and gripe about that play,

or is he gonna
get to the next play?

Come on.
Get your piss high, boys.

Come on.

If you're not locked in,
he's gonna come by

and he's gonna let you know

or he's going to let everybody
on the practice field know.

Look what you just did, right?

The clock's running.

You just got friggin' ejected.

Ejected.

And we're 15 yards this way.

All about you, bro.

All about you.

Come on.
Move it back 15 yards.

You know, when
he was a high school coach,

his staff used to have
these things.

They called them mags.

So any time
he would start yelling,

his voice changes
to a high pitch, you know.

Aah!

Hey!

Whoo!

Coach McGuire, he always
holds his team accountable.

Like, if you're messing up
in practice,

he's gonna get on you.

He wants what's best
for this team,

and he wants you to be
the best player that you can be.

What's next? What's next?
What's next?

We're having a good drive.
What's next?

McGuire is high energy,

and that high octane attitude
can explode

if someone doesn't meet
his high standards.

And then
absolutely no one is safe.

[whistle blows]

Guys, it's the end
of f*cking half!

It should be
a f*cking field goal!

How we don't get a f*cking
field goal attempt off

with 15 f*cking seconds
at the end of f*cking half?

My dad's
obviously our head coach.

He's my best friend.

He is the best man I know.

And we have
so much fun together.

But then also, like,
there's no BS with him.

I hope I can say that.

Don't worry. We're in
f*cking field goal range.

And what else would you do?

I would have f*cking
kicked a field goal

because it wasn't
the end of the game.

No. I would have thrown a play
to gain more yards to get Mark...

-That's what we're doing.
-Bullshit!

You got to understand, man.

We're as competitive

as any human
on the face of this earth

whenever you're talking
about coaches,

and your whole world
is based on winning and losing.

How you not f*cking
get a field goal attempt off?

But, hey, just ask
f*cking the coach over here.

Sometimes it's tough

because he's the guy
that will really dig into me

and call me on anything

that I'm not living up
to the standard.

With 15 seconds?
With 15 seconds?

f*cking ridiculous.

I have the ability
because of, you know,

I got the most banked years
with him of 27 years

of, hey, I can tell him
some hard things.

And either way,
it's still alpha.

Either way,
we change it to alpha.

That's right.

And a lot of times,

that's really hard
and uncomfortable.

He knows all we care about
is winning.

I believe in that man more
than anybody else in the world.

Joey: I mean, I know
there's coaches and players

and everything like that,

but whenever you're trying
to do something really special,

you want some arguments.

And it was funny.

I told Debbie that Garret and I

got in a big argument.

She wasn't really happy
about it.

But with us,
just like the players,

iron sharpens iron.

You know, we're gonna
get after each other.

Big talent in the run game
is what impressed me.

All right.
Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Oh, yeah. Staple.

It's pretty clutch little...

Snack stand?

Yeah, snack station.

All right.
Huddle fast.

I thought you guys
did a really good job

operating the huddle stuff.

Down here... and Chub, it comes up
a little bit later with you,

but especially against press,
like, I wouldn't be super...

I'm not super fired up

about throwing those skinnies
versus press man.

Little softball throw there.

-Put an underhand on him.
-Oh, yeah.

Could have been a better spiral.

-Oh, yeah.
-Threw a little duck out there.

D-end flying up the field,
find a way to make the throw.

Good timing on this motion, too.

Right as he's approaching
the hash,

so he can be in position
to make that block.

The old peel off of that's
gonna be just dirty.

That's gonna score
in red zone lock out, Will.

These guys don't even...
they don't even know.

We got a little third down
competition tomorrow.

I don't know if you
can make it, Sorsby.

No, we got to have third down.

You would get at least
two first downs out of four.

Us in our quarterback room
right now,

like, everything we do
is a competition

because we want to get
the best out of each other.

And I think that's the only way

you can push each other
to be your best

and rise to the top

so that we can do
what we want to do this year.

Will Hammond,
if you ask him right now,

he's gonna say he's gonna start
at quarterback, you know.

The great thing about Will,

he is not gonna to back down
one bit.

And so we're really fortunate
that whenever he is back,

that we're gonna have
a really deep quarterback room

that's gonna be able to play
at a really high level.

There's always gonna be
good, healthy competition.

Whenever you do have
that competition,

it's easy to get lost in it

and easy to hate the guy
that you're going against.

Just because we're competing

doesn't mean we can't
be can't be boys, you know.

I've seen certain things
that maybe they haven't seen.

They've probably seen things
that I haven't seen.

Try to help each other
grow each other's game

and go from there.

Competition is king,
but it's not enough.

You also need accountability.

Each man responsible
for his actions.

Head Coach Joey McGuire knows it
and leads by example.

Here we go.
Here we go.

Give me two. Give me two.
[clap, clap]

So, guys,
for me as a head coach,

I missed a phenomenal
opportunity yesterday, right?

There's stuff on the walls
that I believe in to my core.

Like, to my core,
I believe in the brand.

I believe tough people win.

I believe in
the player-coaches oath.

And then I believe
in what's next.

And I didn't do that yesterday.

I let you guys down.

I got pissed off, right,

because we should have kicked
a field goal.

Man, I was so pissed off
last night at myself.

Not about me and Garret
getting in an argument.

You know what I was
pissed off about, Howard?

That I f*cking
missed an opportunity

to friggin' be
a "what's next," right?

That's what I missed
yesterday, Ponton.

Joey and I, 25 years,
we've been best friends.

He's unique from the standpoint
of, you know,

with players and coaches,
how he is.

I just... I haven't
worked with anybody

that kind of, you know,
he separates the two.

Meaning
he loves his coaches, man,

but he loves his players
as much as he loves his coaches.

You know,
put your ego at the door

is really what it is.

It kind of shows, like,

everything about our program
and our culture.

Like, these aren't
just words on a wall.

I take a lot of pride
in being a McGuire

because of the standard
that he set

and the standard
he set for our family.

We are all in this together.

Everything that we do this year,

we are going to do it together.

That's gonna be the 2026 team.

Everybody makes mistakes,
even from our head coach down.

So seeing that he made
a mistake and he owns it

and he lets us all know
in a team meeting,

it just says a lot
about who our head coach is,

that he means what he says.

It just shows that,
hey, I can make a mistake,

but I need to get it fixed.

And I need to let
the other backers know,

hey, I'm gonna get this right

and I'm gonna do what's next.

Hey, man,
great opportunity today.

Take advantage of it.
Play like your hair's on fire.

Play downhill and dictate.

-Solid on two. One, two.
-Solid!

If a man is measured by
how he responds under pressure,

then there is no greater
proving ground

than situational football.

Joey: Hey, man. Let's go.

Finish. Finish. Finish.

Finish. Finish.

The defense has four plays

to keep points off the board.

With the offense already
in field goal range,

it will be an uphill battle
for the defense.

[laughs]

Come on. Come on.

Yeah, baby!

Take control.

Set-set. Ready.

Here we go. Kick it.
Kick it. Kick it.

Live! It's live!

It's live. It's live.

The missed field goal
not only gives the defense

a much needed confidence boost,

Austin Romaine
finally shook off the dust.

At first, we weren't there
as a defense.

But I feel like, as a whole,

our defense kind of
came together in that.

And we're all starting to click

and know where each other is at

and where our fits are.

And just seeing that
improvement, it's fun.

Great job, fellas.

Great job. Great job.
Great job.

-Shake it up.
-Thanks for letting us win one.

That helps our confidence
a little bit.

Austin's been great.

He, like everyone else,

struggled to learn the defense
the first couple weeks.

But then he really
picked it up quickly.

It's been awesome
to see him progress

throughout this whole spring.

When it comes to Austin,

like, he was really eager
to learn,

wanting to know his job,

and just, like,
trying to be one of the boys.

And I think
he's accomplished that.

He is one of the boys.

At the end of the day,
he's gonna be Austin Romaine.

He's not gonna be
Jake Rodriguez,

and everyone knows that.

He could be better,
He could be worse,

but he's gonna help us
win football games.

The key is how close
can y'all become.

That's the key, man.

In all my years of watching
and evaluating players,

I've never seen
a more connected defense.

All right?
That is our goal right now.

How connected
can this group become?

Developing the kinds of bonds

that will pay dividends
in the season isn't easy.

It takes effort, commitment,

and most importantly,
breaking bread.

It's a recipe for success

that Special Teams Coach
Kenny Perry swears by.

Coaching, you don't get
to have a lot of, you know,

time to do stuff on your own.

And so cooking was the one thing

that I kind of just said,
you know what?

My free time, I like to cook.

Especially for players,
that was one thing

I always liked doing,
was cooking for 'em.

College football, the stress
those guys go through,

I try to do stuff
for those guys,

like, bring 'em over here
as much as I can.

You know, it's just...
I don't know.

We do a great job,
I think, with that stuff

because it's important.

It's important to them,

especially the new kids
that we don't really know.

Here we go.

What's up, boys?

Who's ready?

Who wants first physical?

Goddang it!

It's getting there.

Hey, guys.

Hey, go in there
and look at the food.

Does it look good?

Whoo!

Say something.

Whoo!

Come on. Come on.

Tear it up.

If you want more soy sauce,
there's soy sauce.

There's rice for the etouffee.

Oh, yeah. What's this?

That's sticky whiskey chicken.

Sticky whiskey chicken.

That's some food
right there, dude.

You know, we tell our guys
we love 'em,

and they know it.

And I know
how much these guys love us.

It's special
any time we get around 'em.

Especially some of these guys,
you know, you recruited

or you've known 'em
for four and five years.

So it's, yeah, it's special
when you get around 'em

because you know
it's not gonna last forever.

I think the teams that win

have that,
you know, relationship

where you can tell each other
that you love each other.

And I think
that's what we have here

and that's why
we're successful in winning.

You guys are making me
sound like I'm soft now.

I'm not soft.

With dinner behind them,

the team turns their focus
back to the field

for the annual spring game.

For the first time,
the people of Lubbock

will finally get a look
at the team

they've spent months
only imagining.

Alert! Alert! Ready!

-Hoo!
-Ready, Tech team, ready!

Ready.
Ready, Tech team, ready.

Begin. R-A-I-D-E-R-S.

Hoo! Whoo!

This spring game,
it'll be a really good turnout.

I'm hoping the fans show out,
and I know they will.

Ready.

It'll be the first time

that I've been on the right side
of the sideline, you know,

playing in the Jones.

Here we go.

First touchdown in the Jones.

First touchdown
in the Jones, huh?

I'm excited to see what
my first experience is like

on the right side.

I'm Jamey Sorsby, Brendan's dad.

I'm Kristi Sorsby, mom.

-Awesome to be back in Texas.
-Glad to be back in Texas.

Like, once we get that
first first down, then we relax.

I definitely stress out.
But Brendan doesn't.

He tells us,
I'm not nervous at all.

I said, well, I'm nervous enough
for both of us.

Let's go, man.

You look good, man.

-Thanks, bro.
-You look good.

Hey, don't come out here

worried about anything else
but the football.

Focus on that.

Doing your job.

Playing the player-coaches oath.

Playing at Red Raider
speed, right?

I will know and do my job.

Make it about the football,
nothing else.

-Everybody good?
-Yes, sir.

Sorsby's got the prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I just ask You

to allow us to go out there
today, play fast, play free.

Most importantly,
keep us all safe out here.

Help us fly around and have fun.

You will be doing everything
that's done.

-In Jesus name, amen.
-Amen.

Family on three.

-One, two, three.
-Family.

Here we go.
OD, OD, OD.

The roster may have changed,
but the standard hasn't.

Here come the defending
Big 12 champs.

Block him. Block him.

Hey! Hell, yeah.

f*ck, yeah!

Hell, yeah.
Come on.

Great job, fellas.

All eyes are on Brendan Sorsby.

Whatever question remains,

it's not at quarterback.

Set-set. Ready.

Where's the f*cking
contain player?

Set-set. Ready.

Atta baby.

Hey, that was better
than last week.

Set-set. Ready.

Here we go.

Whoo! Ball, Red Raiders!

This is the big one.

This is the big one.
Let's go, Mike.

Great job, Bubba.
Great job. Great job.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Hey, Teen, like,
I sacked you, Mateen.

You were eight yards away, bro.

I don't know what
I wanted to do. I'm sorry.

It's been a good spring.

Hard work yielding results.

With the scrimmage behind them,

one important milestone
is complete.

But the toughest part
of the journey

still lies ahead.

Tonight, they put
the pressure aside

and soak in the excitement.

It's not about
improving anything.

It's about enjoying
what they're building.

There you go.

Oh, yeah.

Brendan Sorsby seems to be
exactly who they hoped.

There you go.

I came from Dallas
to see my Dallas guy.

-Oh, yeah. Yes, ma'am.
-I'm so proud of you.

I sit on row 13 in the red line,

and I will be
hollering your name.

Yes, ma'am.

But in the offseason,

even the surest bet

can go sideways.

Give me two. Give me two.
[clap, clap]

You can sit over there.

Guys, I wanted
to have this meeting,

and I wanted y'all
to hear it from me.

But there's gonna be
some news coming out.

Reporter: Breaking news
out of college football.

Texas Tech quarterback
Brendan Sorsby

is being investigated
by the NCAA for alleged gambling

on college football
and other sports.

The star college football player

who's expected to vie
for the Heisman Trophy

is seeking treatment
for a gambling addiction.

It was discovered
that he made thousands of bets

on a variety of sports
via a gambling app,

which jeopardizes
his eligibility with Texas Tech.