Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsWednesday, August 5, 2026

Leach Trapped In A Closet of His Own Making

If you’re thinking that the Mike Leach “I did not kidnap, I merely secluded a player in a closet” story sounds weird, you’re terribly unfamiliar with Mike Leach. Leach is a friend of Donald Trump, has an unnatural fascination with pirates, runs the pass-happiest offense is college football, once picked a kicker based on a halftime contest, and occasionally does the weather on Lubbock television. He’s weird. You should be used to it by now.

↵

He’s also successful, and the combination may be finally working against him. Leach comes with a high drama quotient: he banned Twitter accounts for players this year, accused them of listening to “their fat little girlfriends” after a loss to Texas A&M, and now has done something somewhere between outright imprisonment of a player and putting them in a closet for their own good. That just covers this year, as past years have included accusing Big 12 officials of conspiring against the Red Raiders, open stumping for open coaching gigs, and public mocking of NFL coaches for questioning his ability to prepare qbs for the pros.

↵

Leach is undoubtedly the most successful coach in Texas Tech’s history, but eight and nine win seasons have become routine, and routine gets taken for granted very, very quickly when combined with constant theatricality and low-level controversy. (Oh, and he locked the son of an ESPN broadcaster in a closet in a dispute over a concussion in a year filled with concussion awareness stories. That probably doesn’t help, either.)

College Football
North Dakota State’s college football dynasty finally reaches the big leaguesNorth Dakota State’s college football dynasty finally reaches the big leagues
College Football

North Dakota State dominated FCS college football. Can it work in the Mountain West?

By Mark Schofield
College Football
Heisman Trophy rankings: Predicting college football’s top contenders for 2026Heisman Trophy rankings: Predicting college football’s top contenders for 2026
College Football

College football’s long list of Heisman Trophy candidates entering 2026 season

By Mark Schofield
College Football
College Football Reacts: Are patch deals ok for the game?College Football Reacts: Are patch deals ok for the game?
College Football

Let us know how you feel about the takeover of patch deals in college football

By Kyle Thele
College Football
College football rankings: Preseason top-25 teams, according to usCollege football rankings: Preseason top-25 teams, according to us
College Football

Here’s our top-25 teams in college football.

By Mark Schofield
NFL Draft beat
How NFL-ready is Arch Manning?How NFL-ready is Arch Manning?
NFL Draft beat

Arch Manning is the presumptive QB1 in the 2027 draft class that’s supposed to be generational. What does he need to improve in order to make that a reality?

By Doug Farrar
College Football
College Football 27 review: The greatest meal that leaves a bad taste in your mouthCollege Football 27 review: The greatest meal that leaves a bad taste in your mouth
College Football

Brilliant in so many ways, flawed in one key area.

By James Dator