Hank Bachmeier was a four-star prospect out of high school and an accomplished Group of Five quarterback. He could’ve gone to any number of schools.
When he was considering where to transfer, playing for a coach who was a good person was a priority above all else. He asked people he trusted about Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie, and the answers were similar.
“Not one single person I asked,” Bachmeier told HERO Sports back in June, “said anything negative about Coach Cumbie.”
Cumbie will begin his second season of leading the Bulldogs when they host FIU on Saturday. He has a plethora of experience at other colleges and is aiming to use that knowledge to help Louisiana Tech become a Conference USA Championship contender.
When asked about what he wants to bring to the Bulldogs, Cumbie didn’t talk about any of that experience or schematics. He wants to infuse a new level of energy into the program.
“Just a lot of passion,” Cumbie said in an interview with HERO Sports. “It’s how we approach every day.”
Sonny Cumbie’s Texas Tech Ties
Cumbie was an assistant at several high-profile schools before he arrived in Ruston, Louisiana.
He was Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Matt Wells was the head coach in 2021. He was also a co-offensive coordinator there in 2013 under eventual Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, as well as an assistant from 2009-12 when Tommy Tuberville was the head coach of the team.
He played quarterback for the Red Raiders when Mike Leach was their head coach. As a senior in 2000, Cumbie led the country with 4,742 passing yards before playing at the pro level for a couple years.
Cumbie was also an offensive coordinator from 2014-20 at TCU when Gary Patterson was the head coach.
Cumbie said he’s learned a great deal from all those head coaches as well as the assistants at those programs.
Thanks to Patterson, he understood how day-to-day accountability can lead to consistency. He took note of how great of a teacher Leach was. He was inspired by Kingsbury’s innovation and willingness to think in new ways.
“Having answers for what you do and having a belief in what you do,” Cumbie said. “We’re not just blindly doing things. You want to have solid reasons and background for what you’re doing.
“So you just try to pull all those things together in the midst of building around what you believe in and all the while staying true to your personality and trying to find the best way to lead our coaches and our players.”
Those coaches he’s been around helped Cumbie develop his philosophy now that he’s in charge of a program.
Sonny Cumbie’s Culture At Louisiana Tech
Cumbie has had to acclimate himself to teams and their personnel quickly in his career. When he joined the Bulldogs over a year ago, it was no different.
Some players he knew from recruiting, but many he didn’t. And at Louisiana Tech, several committed to the program thinking they would play for someone else.
But Cumbie doesn’t view those situations as awkward or a struggle. He sees them as exciting opportunities.
“Clearly establishing what we’re about,” he said, “and then just really asking them to have the openness of mind to allow our coaching staff to come in and earn their trust.”
Cumbie noted how much he learned about his players last season, which ended with Louisiana Tech going 3-9 and 2-6 in CUSA play. He’s had to meet even more players as he said about 45 on the 2023 roster are new to the team.
Cumbie felt the offensive side of the roster was in good shape when he took the job, but the Bulldogs wanted to add a quarterback which led to Bachmeier’s transfer to Louisiana Tech. Cumbie said only about 25 defensive players were on scholarship when he arrived at Louisiana Tech, though, and wanted to address that.
He’s depended on returners during this transitional time. He pointed out how redshirt sophomore right tackle Carson Bruno has been among the team’s emerging leaders because he approaches practice and weight training with a noticeable passion.
Cumbie sought out athletes who love practices and meetings – the work required to prepare – just as much as the games.
That dedication, he said, should lead to the results the program has been seeking.
“The end goal is probably the same as everybody in our conference: go win a championship,” Cumbie said. “But at the same time, the day to day is what will allow us to have the opportunity to do that.”
