The theme of this year's coaching carousel so far is: No hesitation. When it's time for a change, schools aren't thinking twice about making one.
USC knew after two games and fired Clay Helton. LSU knew after six games and then fired Ed Orgeron following the seventh.
Texas Tech also seemed to be waiting for its chance to end the Matt Wells era. After the Red Raiders blew a 14-point halftime lead at home against Kansas State on Saturday, the school wasted no time in firing Wells on Monday. Despite the team's 5-3 record and some obvious improvement this season, Wells hadn't provided enough evidence that things would turn around in Lubbock. He's out after going 13-17 overall and 7-16 in Big 12 play.
Several factors drove Wells' dismissal. He didn't win enough, especially since being brought in to improve the product following Kliff Kingsbury's tenure (35-40 in six years). Kingsbury's incredible rise from fired Big 12 coach to successful NFL coach (20-18 with the Arizona Cardinals, including 7-0 this season) certainly created some regret in Lubbock.
But perhaps the biggest driver for the change is that Texas Tech has two A-plus candidates to replace Wells: SMU's Sonny Dykes and UTSA's Jeff Traylor, both of whom lead undefeated, ranked teams this season. Texas Tech likely wanted to move on from Wells before he could get any late-season traction, and to ensure it could pursue Dykes and Traylor before another Power 5 school could hire them.
Texas Tech is a challenging job because of its location, and only Mike Leach has generated recent national-level success there. But the school has a passionate fan base and a respected athletic director in Kirby Hocutt. Texas Tech should be able to compete in the reconfigured Big 12.
Many would be surprised if Texas Tech's search goes beyond the top two names, but here's a more complete look at coaches the school might consider to replace Wells.
SMU coach Sonny Dykes: The combination of Dykes' success at SMU and deep roots at Texas Tech makes him the 1A candidate for many around the Red Raiders program. Dykes, 51, is the son of former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, who led the program from 1986 to 1999 and was a four-time league coach of the year. Sonny played baseball at Texas Tech and served as a Red Raiders assistant under Leach from 2000 to 2006. After a solid run at Louisiana Tech and some struggles in a Cal job he wasn't suited for, Dykes has flourished at SMU, going 24-6 since the start of the 2019 season. He is well-liked in Texas coaching circles and would be embraced by Texas Tech fans and donors. The question is whether he wants to go back, especially if other options (Virginia Tech, Arizona State) emerge.
UTSA coach Jeff Traylor: While Dykes is the favorite to replace Wells, Traylor is right behind him and might be a preferred choice for some. The longtime Texas high school coach has blossomed in his first FBS head-coaching position, guiding Texas-San Antonio to a 15-5 record over the past two seasons and a historic 8-0 start this fall. Traylor, 53, might be the most well-connected FBS coach to the Texas high school scene. An SEC assistant on Sunday called him "the king of Texas." Other than two years at Arkansas under Chad Morris, Traylor has spent his entire coaching career in his home state. After Wells, he would help reestablish some key ties to the state and possibly elevate recruiting to Leach-era levels.
Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles: The Briles name likely will surface in some way this season. While Art Briles retains some support among Texas Tech fans, his departure from Baylor won't sit well with many, and he would be a tough hire for Hocutt to make. His son Kendal, meanwhile, has landed multiple Power 5 coordinator opportunities since the Baylor scandal and has helped turn around Arkansas under coach Sam Pittman. The 38-year-old is a sharp offensive mind who has spent much of his career in his home state. He knows the Texas Tech program and the state's all-important high school coaching scene well.
Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko: He's not a Texas guy, but he would bring a background in defense that would be a new approach for an offense-driven program. Plus, Elko now has three years in the state and has a good knowledge of the recruiting landscape. He's one of the nation's most respected defensive minds, and would bring experience from Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest and other spots. The Big 12 is becoming more defense-oriented, so while Elko, 44, wouldn't be the typical Texas Tech target, he could make sense this time around.
Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby: He's connected to Art Briles (son-in-law) and Baylor (former assistant under Briles from 2008 to 2016), but also has established himself on his own the past two years. Lebby, 37, has overseen electric offenses at UCF and now Ole Miss, working alongside head coaches Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin. Lebby is very sharp and soon should get a chance to run his own program. He's a McGregor, Texas, native who attended Oklahoma and spent much of his early career in his home state.
Baylor associate head coach Joey McGuire: The search likely won't get this far, but McGuire, like others on this list, is a homegrown candidate who would connect well with Texas Tech and its fan base. He was considered for Baylor's head-coaching position after Matt Rhule left, and maintains an important role there under Dave Aranda. Like Traylor, McGuire was a top high school coach in Texas, winning three state titles at Cedar Hill. He has transitioned well to the college ranks, helping foster improvement with Baylor's defense the past few years.
USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell: The timing might not be right with USC struggling and Harrell's offense slipping since the 2019 season. But Harrell ultimately will be a better fit in the Big 12, and in his home state of Texas, than he is at USC. A former record-setting Texas Tech quarterback, Harrell transitioned well as a Leach assistant at Washington State and then as offensive coordinator at North Texas. He runs an offense that Texas Tech fans know and love, and could boost the program's profile in the state. But Harrell is only 36 and might not be ready for this job at this time.