The way Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire has outlined Mitch Griffis’ role on the team, he’s not expected to play much unless the Red Raiders are way ahead or unless Behren Morton and Will Hammond get hurt.
As third quarterback, Griffis’ role on the field might not be that substantial. In the locker room, now that’s a different story.
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“He is such a great person for this culture,” McGuire said on Tuesday, Aug. 5, the Red Raiders’ first day of full-pads practice. “He stood up and talked to the team the other day. About four days ago, it was a full calendar year that he was out of football, working construction.
“It was all about appreciating what we get to do every day, because he got up for a year at 2 a.m. and worked from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. working construction and pouring concrete. As hard as this (college football) seems at times, he said, ‘You need to appreciate it because it’s a lot more fun to play football than pour concrete.’ “
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Not that Griffis was badmouthing those doing the manual labor.
“He tipped his hat to all the construction workers doing everything that they do,” McGuire said, “but he’d much rather be playing football, and he made them appreciate it.
“It’s cool because he brings so much energy to our practices, so (I’m) really excited about having him on the team.”
Texas Tech fished Griffis from the NCAA transfer portal in December, specifically to fill the role of capable experienced quarterback with no illusions about playing a lot. That’s not an easy needle to thread in an era in which quarterbacks hopscotch from one school to another if they’re not starting.
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From 2020-23 at Wake Forest, Griffis appeared in 23 games, throwing for 1,957 yards and 15 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Most of that — 1,553 yards, nine TD passes and seven interceptions — came in 2023, when he made nine of his 10 career starts. After that season, Griffis transferred to Marshall, but he stepped away from the game in June 2024.
Texas Tech’s Mitch Griffis throws a pass during spring football practice, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, inside the Sports Performance Center.
The reasons for Griffis’ career pause aren’t clear, as Tech hasn’t made him available to the media since he arrived — not even after the 6-foot, 195-pound senior from Ashburn, Virginia, threw two touchdown passes in the spring game.
When Tech landed Griffis, the 2025 season was expected to be his last in college football. McGuire said Tuesday, however, he’s been granted another year of eligibility so he can stay on as a seventh-year player in 2026.
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McGuire hired former Tech running back and wide receiver Xavier White as an offensive assistant this offseason. Asked if Griffis might have such a future, McGuire said he “would hire him in a second.”
“His dad’s a coach,” McGuire said. “He played for his dad. He’s got a high football IQ. He’s a really, really good football player. If there’s other things we can do with him, we won’t shy away from it.
“He’s won games in the ACC. He was a captain on his previous team, so it kind of talks to his character. … Whenever it’s all said and done, I’d love for him to coach at Texas Tech.”
The Red Raiders are in their second week of preseason camp. They’re scheduled for their seventh and eighth practices on Thursday, Aug. 7, and Friday, Aug. 8. The first scrimmage, closed to the public and media, is Saturday, Aug. 9.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How new QB Mitch Griffis is helping build Texas Tech football culture
