When Texas Tech decided to hire Joey McGuire as its next head football coach back in the fall, there was an almost immediate shift in tone and culture around the Red Raiders program.

Sure, some may say Matt Wells didn't do a *horrible* job as the head man, but bringing in a presence, on and off the field, like McGuire was a surefire recipe for early offseason buzz and potential success down the line.

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McGuire arrives in his first college head coaching gig with a reputation as one of the leading voices in Texas high school football due to his extensive experience as a high school coach in the state and his time as president of the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA).

That reputation has earned him immediate validity in just about every high school field house across the state, and he's used that advantage to power Texas Tech's big early recruiting wins in the 2023 class. As the recruiting season approaches a busy spring, the new regime in Lubbock has already amassed 13 commits while boasting the No. 2 overall class in the country, according to the Rivals team rankings.

"It's super special," Texas Tech quarterback commit Jake Strong said. "Coach McGuire, he's got a great culture building over there at Tech and I'm excited to be a part of it along with the 13 other guys we have committed."

The recruiting momentum has not only resonated with high school coaches, but obviously with the players that have committed themselves, as Strong points to the brotherhood and trust that McGuire and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley have been able to build.

"I would say it's because they're putting their players first," he said. "In today's coaching world, you get a lot of 'ifs' I would call it, there's a lot of things that are unknown. But with Coach McGuire and Coach Kittley at Texas Tech, there are no 'ifs.' It's black-and-white, it's honesty, it's truthful. It's a really good environment for a player to be in."

With multiple spots still open in the class, Strong and the rest of the Texas Tech class are shooting for big-name targets, especially on the offensive side of the ball, to truly make the 2023 class a resounding success. In Strong's eyes, the foundation has already been laid, and it's something that recruits will wish that they were a part of in the future.

"I encourage everyone else to check out what we have building, because there's not a lot of words I can think of other than 'special,'" he said. "The brotherhood, the family, the blue-collar work ethic that we're building; those are the kinds of guys and the kind of culture that encompasses everything that we're building up there."