Louisiana Tech football hires Texas Tech offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie as new coach

Louisiana Tech football has found its new coach.

The Bulldogs announced Tuesday the hiring of Texas Tech offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie.

Cumbie replaces Skip Holtz, who parted ways with Louisiana Tech last week following nine seasons, including a 3-9 campaign this season.

Louisiana Tech will hold a press conference Wednesday at noon at Davison Athletics Complex. Fans are encouraged to attend.

Cumbie, 40, has had a busy 2021 season, serving as the Red Raiders' interim coach for the final month of the regular season after Texas Tech fired head coach Matt Wells despite a 5-3 record. The Red Raiders were 1-3 in Cumbie's four games as interim coach, with all three losses coming against top 10 opponents.

This will be Cumbie's first coaching job outside of the state of Texas.

Cumbie was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech from 2000-04, earning the starting job as a senior in 2004, and later returned to Lubbock to work his way up the ladder as an assistant coach. Cumbie started as a graduate assistant in 2009, moved up to wide receivers coach in 2011 and added co-offensive coordinator to his title in 2013 before moving on to TCU.

Under Gary Patterson, Cumbie was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Fort Worth from 2014-16, then became the sole offensive coordinator in 2017. He remained there until last season, when he moved back to Texas Tech as the offensive coordinator under Wells.

New Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire announced last week that Cumbie would return as the team's offensive playcaller in 2022.

The 2021 season was a regrettable one for Holtz. Games against Mississippi State, Southeastern, SMU, North Texas and NC State were all decided by a score or less. But, losses in four of those five games were a major factor in the Bulldogs not reaching a bowl game which had become an expected tradition at Louisiana Tech.

Holtz was 64-49 and led the the Bulldogs to two Conference USA Championship game appearances (2014, 2016) and six wins in seven bowl games.

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Louisiana Tech football hires Texas Tech OC Sonny Cumbie as new coach