I have to be honest, I don’t really know what Bussin With The Boys is (this is a link to their YouTube channel). I am smart enough to gather that they are a podcast or YouTube type of thing that previously was under the umbrella of Barstool Sports and they are now independent. It features Will Compton and Taylor Lewan. They were both offensive linemen in their NFL days. That’s a long explanation, but just in case you didn’t know what it was. They were at the football complex so you can probably expect quite a bit of content coming from them over the next few days.

Texas Tech released a red helmet and I like it, but I think I’m pretty easy at this point in my life.

Can’t stop staring at it 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OPf80ZSyBB

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) April 2, 2026

Texas Tech has a new running back, a walk-on, from Belgium, Loic Tshibangu (6-0/210), he played overseas and then moved here, went to Collin College, transferred to Texas Tech, went to a summer camp, and here we are. Pretty cool.

ESPN has a good summary of the verbal sparring between Texas Tech board of regent Cody Campbell and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. This started with Campbell raising an objection to Texas Tech and Houston playing on Friday night, especially with Texas Tech coming off of a West Coast trip to Oregon State.

Here’s Yormark on the reasoning:

“Friday night Big 12 football games outperformed the Conference’s average rating by 64% in 2025,” Yormark said. “All of our schools are treated equally during the TV scheduling process and this game fits within our scheduling parameters. I am thankful that our TV partners provide us with these opportunities.”

And Campbell’s response:

“I think Yormark could have gone to bat for us and didn’t, because, again, he wanted the ratings,” Campbell said. “I think FOX is not concerned about any individual team. I think, again, they also want ratings, so they picked the game that’s going to give them the most viewership for that weekend.”

I think that they are both correct and I am guessing that’s a probably not a popular sentiment. Campbell’s response also presumes that Yormark didn’t go to bat for Texas Tech and so maybe Campbell knows something we don’t? The ratings may be better and there’s no doubt that the networks only care about ratings, but that’s the deal you made with the devil that is the television contracts.

These were the Friday games last year:

• Friday, Aug. 29 – Georgia Tech at Colorado
• Friday, Aug. 29 – Auburn at Baylor
• Friday, Sept. 12 – Colorado at Houston
• Friday, Sept. 12 – Kansas State at Arizona
• Friday, Sept. 19 – Tulsa at Oklahoma State
• Friday, Sept. 26 – TCU at Arizona State
• Friday, Oct. 3 – West Virginia at BYU
• Friday, Nov. 7 – Houston at UCF
• Friday, Nov. 28 – Arizona at Arizona State
• Friday, Nov. 28 – Utah at Kansas

Texas Tech was due to play on a Friday night. Campbell has only said something when it affects Texas Tech (understandable), but as you can see above, Houston played in 2 Friday night games, as did Colorado, Arizona State and Arizona. I am also guessing that Yormark’s numbers are probably skewed to make his decision look better to play on Friday nights and there is only so much he can control in terms of how the networks operate.

I worked extra hard to do some non-transcripts of the 3 coaches who spoke to the media on Wednesday (I think).

Juice Johnson

• Collectively as a defense, they are all flashing. Given the day and the drill, it’s the depth, any different position group is having an impact.
• Micah Hudson, there’s a trust with Brendan Sorsby. Hudson has been consistent and been healthy and go through the offseason, plus being in the same offense. He’s doing a great job of being consistent. Mentally locked in and he’s out there practicing and taking all of the reps he’s previously missed.
• Biggest growth, all of the guys are growing. Bryson Jones, Michael Dever, Tristian Gentry, Leyton Stone, a lot of those freshmen had touchdowns last year. They are maturing and moving in that right direction.
• Just getting the new guys to understand the culture and brining those guys together and connected with whoever hits the field. Are as deep as we’ve been, tasked with being intentional with brining the room together.
• Donte Lee is very vertical, long speed and can burn. Kenny Johnson does it all and is savvy, has played a lot of football, can settle in zone defenses. Malcolm Simmons has the big play ability, can also take the top off. Jalen Jones does it all, could be in gadget, jet sweeps and screens. They all bring individual skillsets within their game.
• At slot, we are training everyone and being able to line guys up at every spot. Everyone needs to know inside and outside.
• No block, no rock. Spend time drilling these things to be physical. They’ve been playing football for a while, need effort and be detailed, also need to play tough.
• Koy Eakin is like having another coach and he’s become very efficient coming in and out of his breaks, the way he approaches things and how he approaches his routes. He’s played a lot of football and been very consistent and have that visual picture of consistency and gives the younger guys something to look at.

Rob Greene

• Brendan Sorsby is really good. The indicators don’t work against him, he can look off defenders. He’s a test for us. Terrance Carter and Koy Eakin. They’ve made plays, they make competitive plays and we have to make violent aggression to make a play. Jalen Jones is very quick, high gear of speed on the vertical routes out of the slot.
• Brendan Jordan has played a lot of big ball ball and have some talented young guys. Peyton Morgan, Malik Esquerra, Oliver Miles, they are battling to be in that other spot. Young guys, Aaron Bradshaw and Maddox Quiller, they are figuring things out every day.
• Knowledge and experience, running the same system, and the reps from last year. They are more confident this year than last year. Know they are doing the right thing.
• Consistency of the younger guys.
• Need guys to make tackle, need to finish plays, and yesterday was the first day of live stuff. Need to finish plays against good players.
• Peyton and Oliver are more of a cover guys and standout, same as BJ. Can close space, almost like a corner and can go tackle. Oliver is more physical, while Peyton has good ball skills. Malik is more like Cole, is a bigger guy and 6-3/212 and can bring more physicality into the box, but has fluidity and flexibility.
• Once we get the live evaluations we will know who is finishing the best, we are judged on tackles and takeaways and when we go live we’ll know who is doing that and not giving up explosives or busts.
• With team success comes individual opportunity, that allowed for that. There’s no downside to being here, we have everything you need. McGuire makes it enjoyable to come into work every day. Players are good people and great place to live and can’t see a place better to be at than Texas Tech. We were not ready to leave here.
• Coach Wood is the best DC in the country and an honor to be a co-defensive coordinator, for our relationship, I can do that for him and my role is similar, maybe a day-to-day duty or scripting a practice, that’s probably the main thing.
• BJ has done a phenomenal job, he’s sending out the schedule and he goes out of his way to make sure the young guys can go to him. He’s taken them bowling and get those guys hanging out and been more vocal. I’ve been proud of him.
• The pass rush and cover are tied together. A lot of the guys, Trey White, Adam Trick, Bryce Butler, Mateen, Julian, Jojo, Jamon, they were all productive at previous places. Those guys by committee can help create that pressure. They are still learning the system and flashes of the plays they make. Excited about those guys.
• This time next year he’s going to be a senior, he will have on tape playing all 3 defensive back system, he’s played star, field safety last year, and he’ll play some boundary this year. The skillset and box fits from the spring and playing the deep zone. Those are 2 things that has stood out and has had coverage ability and will make him a better prospect and that will help him in the NFL. Very proud of him.
• John Curry goes with Sheil and Dave Martin takes the stars, for the most part he meets with the linebackers. Yesterday he met with the safety and stars and a case by case basis. He’s like having a coach on the field. We’re all speaking the same language.
• Donovan Webb as a star, we had 3 safeties and 3 spots, so just trying to figure out what’s best. Our thought process was that maybe Donovan can do the same type of checks AJ McCarty did last year. Just figuring out what skillsets these guys can do.
• Maddox reminds me of BJ, very smooth and smart, learns quickly, he does it one time and gets it. Aaron brings a length and range and is rare given how he can move, he’s at field safety, has that cover skillset and is so long and can cover a lot of ground.

Darcel McBath

• Just the leadership across the board from the guys returning. Are further ahead than last year. Have fast-tracked it this year. Davin Martin, Amier Boyd, Voss Martin, Luke Bell is getting good reps, Ashton Hampton. Don’t have a 2-deep at the moment.
• Boss Martin and Davin Martin are having a great spring. Luke Bell, Hampton is attacking it. These guys are taking to the challenge.
• Need to work on everything all of the time and trying to be the best we can be and attack every angle.
• Martin has college football experience and it shows how he attacks the meetings and he’s been in the system, he’s physical and smart, and he’s a junior and he’s starting to figure it out in the weight room and where he is. What we do on defense benefits his game. His length and speed gives him the opportunity to play man and the different coverages and do so many things and how versatile he is.
• Very similar to Amier coming in last year. Davin is a bit ahead of Amier from where he came in last year.
• Amier is taking that next step and the consistency he has to play with, how he does everything is scrutinized and how he carries himself in terms of maturity.
• Brice Pollack is coming along and he’s frustrated and wants to practice, he’s coaching up the young guys and getting mental reps.
• Boss Martin has done a great job of picking up the defense and acclimating to the speed and physicality of college football and attacked the little things like nutrition.
• I big brothered Amier with Luke Bell and have seen the fruits of his labor and explaining things.
• Are loaded on the offensive side of the ball, Lee, Malcolm, Kenny, Brendan and the combination of those guys and the way they can attack you.