The Texas Tech Red Raiders are set to start fall camp on Wednesday, and expectations are once again high for defensive coordinator Shiel Wood.
The Red Raiders had one of the best defenses in the country in 2025, allowing just 11.8 points and 258.3 yards per game. It was a massive improvement after they allowed 34.8 points and 460.2 yards per game the year before. The improvement was a major reason why he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football.
While several key players from last year’s defense are gone, Texas Tech retained several stars and once again loaded up in the portal, and the unit is looking to have another dominant season under Wood. If that does happen, it could be tough for Joey McGuire to hold onto him for much longer. On3’s Pete Nakos listed 27 assistant coaches who are “highly likely” to be head coaches next year, and Wood made the list.
Wood has steadily climbed the ranks ever since he got into coaching in 2006, but yet to be a head coach. While he played wide receiver at Wofford, he has been a defensive coach since 2011, when he took over Wofford’s safety room after coaching their wide receivers from 2007-10.
He took several seasons off before returning as their safeties coach in 2016, becoming the defensive coordinator in 2017. He left his alma mater after the season, becoming Georgia Tech’s safety coach.
Wood has coached at seven different schools over the past eight seasons, making stops at Georgia State (2019), Army (2020-21), Troy (2022), Tulane (2023), and Houston (2024) before McGuire hired him ahead of the 2025 season to lead Texas Tech’s defense.
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This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Texas Tech assistant coach named head coach candidate
Reporting by JD McCarthy, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By JD McCarthy, Red Raiders Wire | USA TODAY Network
