Tuberville Axes Most of Leach's Coaching Staff at Texas Tech

New Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville (right) is quickly putting together his new staff and only a few will be holdovers from the Mike Leach regime.

Coaches who not be asked back include interim head coach/defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, inside wide receivers coach Lincoln Riley, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell, special teams coordinator Eric Russell, running backs coach Clay McGuire and recruiting coordinator Dave Emerick.

The only on-field coaches who will carry over from the Leach era are offensive line coach Matt Moore, wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons and defensive ends coach Chris Sadler, along with Tommy McVay, who has been director football operations since the Spike Dykes era.

The staff was destined to be rocked when Leach was fired "for cause" last month because of his alleged mistreatment of reserve receiver Adam James, the son of former SMU running back and current ESPN college football analyst Craig James.

McNeill, who coached the Red Raiders to a win over Michigan State in the Valero Alamo Bowl earlier this month and was the only other candidate formally interviewed for the vacancy, declined to talk Thursday when reached by FanHouse, citing this as a difficult time for himself and his family.

But McNeill did release a statement through the university, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

"I know the last few weeks have been abnormally tough for all Red Raiders,'' McNeill's statement read in part. "The things that have occurred during this time have been unprecedented and shocking, to say the least. I can promise that no one has taken this harder than the coaching staff and our current players. These events have been very trying for all of our families and friends.

"Over the last several years, we have accomplished many great things at Tech and put out a team that all Red Raiders, both past and current, are proud of. We have all dedicated a large portion of our lives to making this football team as successful as possible.''

Tuberville has committed to keeping a variation of Leach's highly popular pass-first offense, but the defensive-minded coach admitted during his introductory press conference on Sunday that he would install his own defense. That fact pretty much spelled the end of McNeill's tenure at Texas Tech.

Tuberville is apparently close to reaching an agreement with James Willis, who is the associate head coach and linebackers coach of the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, to become the new defensive coordinator. Willis worked for Tuberville for three seasons at Auburn.

Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown was hired by Tuberville in that same capacity at Tech earlier in the week, news that was confirmed Wednesday by the school.

The coaches from the Leach era will be paid until June 1 unless they land new jobs, according to their contracts.