Three Things Texas Tech Coach Joey McGuire Said Ahead of His Trip to Stillwater

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The Cowboys and Red Raiders have had a pseudo-rivalry going for a little bit. But now throw in a game with stakes and the Oklahoma State coach being a Texas Tech alum, and Saturday should be a lot of fun.

OSU and Tech will do battle at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

Now in his fifth year leading the Tech program, Joey McGuire met with reporters Monday to preview the matchup. Here are three things he said.

1. Joey McGuire Is a Big Eric Morris Guy

With the Big 12 title picture still very much active, there are a ton of storylines going into Saturday’s game between the Cowboys and Red Raiders, but one of the most prominent storylines will be Morris’ ties to Texas Tech.

If you, somehow, haven’t heard, Morris played at Tech under Mike Leach. From 2005 through 2008, Morris made 184 catches as a Red Raider, going for 1,965 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had three rushing touchdowns and a punt return score as a Red Raider.

“Man, I have a lot of respect for Eric Morris,” McGuire said. “He is one of my favorite people. He’s a guy that I speak to a lot — I have since I got in this. He was one of the first people to call me when I got the job. I talked to him yesterday. I told him that it’s gonna be a great environment, but we’re not gonna like the 8:30 (p.m.) kick. He agreed. He was, ‘Man, it was hard staying up watching you guys, it being that late.’ But, I know it’s gonna be a great environment.

“Man, he has created a great culture. If you look at the way they’ve responded off losses, they’ve played some of their best games. Beaten Oregon off a loss. This last week, they just totally dominated K-State off a loss. That says a lot about his culture because I don’t know if there are very few teams in the country that had more new players that he had to bring together in one year and, you know, what they’re doing.”

2. Mestemaker the ‘Best Quarterback in the Nation’

It’s often not long in these opposing coach news conferences when they start singing the praises of Drew Mestemaker.

McGuire called Mestemaker “the best quarterback in the nation.”

Mestemaker ranks second nationally with 2,962 passing yards this season, while his 29 passing touchdowns lead the nation. He also ranks 12th nationally in yards per completion (14.38), first in points responsible for (204) and eighth in passing efficiency (172.98).

In part of his praise for Mestemaker, McGuire noted that the New York Jets have some draft capital. The Jets were rolling deep in Manhattan (Kansas, not New York) this past weekend to get an up-close look at OSU’s quarterback.

“I think we’re facing the best quarterback in the nation,” McGuire said. “I don’t know who’s gonna get the first pick, but I know the Jets have like three first round picks. I would definitely be taking him in the first round. It would surprise me if he doesn’t go No. 1 overall. Big arm, has got great football IQ, is a big guy. One of the most exciting plays of the year is against Oregon and, man, he hurdles a guy to score a touchdown. That says how much he cares about the game and how much he cares about his team.”

3. On Thomas Castellanos

The Red Raiders have turned their offense over to Thomas Castellanos.

Although Castellanos’ story isn’t quite as crazy as Mestemaker going from not starting at QB in high school to potentially being the No. 1 pick, it’s still quite unique.

Castellanos didn’t join the Red Raiders until late into August, following the fallout of all the Brendan Sorsby drama. Castellanos started his career at UCF in 2022 and has also played at Boston College and most recently Florida State. He has taken part in 45 college football games, throwing for an even 7,000 yards and 57 touchdowns. A dual-threat, he’s ran for another 2,268 yards and 27 scores.

Castellanos was given some spot duty throughout the year behind Will Hammond but has taken over the past two games. In these past two, he’s thrown for 506 yards, ran for 219 yards and accounted for eight total TDs.

“One, he’s a really special person, man,” McGuire said. “He’s a great leader. The guys really like him. I think I said it a couple weeks ago, he wasn’t a guy that came in and forced himself. I think Preslee (Quisenberry, Tech’s director of ops) said that we got him here Aug. 30, something like that. So, it’s pretty awesome to see how he’s really fit in with everybody and then really become a leader.

“I’m really proud of him. He sent me a text at like 5:11 a.m. (Sunday), and I’m like, ‘Gah, you’re up early.’ Then once I read the text, he said, ‘Man, I haven’t slept, coach, I’m just so thankful and so excited to be a part of this.’ That’s just the kind of person he is.”