The Athletic is running a three-part oral history on Leach beginning today. They have a ton of interviews with former players and coaches at Tech, WSU and MSU. This is an excerpt on Taylor Potts.
Doege: Taylor Potts was the starting quarterback. At the time, Potts started off hot and then he got in a little slump. He wasn’t pulling the trigger like Leach wanted him to. He was a little indecisive on reads and stuff. So Leach changed his name to Nick.
Kevin Kilmer, Texas Tech graduate assistant: Leach had convinced himself – and convinced Potts — that Potts had an alter ego.
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech quarterback: We played Kansas at home. I think Doege started, and I went in at the end and we won. We drove all the way down the field and scored in the south end zone right there in front of the student section. All the way on that drive there was just check after check after check. … We marched right down. I came off the field and Mike grabbed me kind of like on the back of the neck. And he said something to the effect of: “Listen, you’re playing clear-headed, you’re playing fast, you’re playing confident, you’re playing just like Nick.”
Doege: What he said was, “Taylor is indecisive. Taylor overthinks things. Taylor doesn’t pull the trigger. But Nick! Nick has a free mind. Nick goes through his reads. Nick pulls the trigger.”
Zane Perry, Texas Tech equipment manager: It was the night before a game. He calls me and says: “Hey, I want you to put Nick on the back of Taylor Potts’ jersey.” I was like: “Coach, I can’t change his name plate the night before a game.” He was like: “I don’t care. Write it in Sharpie.”
Doege: Nick is literally on the back of Taylor’s jersey.
Perry: The following Sunday, Coach said, “I want to make sure you change all his jerseys from now on. Just have Nick. This is Nick Potts now.”
Kilmer: Potts beat Oklahoma when they were like No. 10 in the country with Nick on the back of his jersey.
Harrell: That was the magic behind his madness.
Stoops: As eccentric and different as he might have been, it still got back to: He was a great coach, and he got the best out of his guys.
Doege: Taylor Potts was the starting quarterback. At the time, Potts started off hot and then he got in a little slump. He wasn’t pulling the trigger like Leach wanted him to. He was a little indecisive on reads and stuff. So Leach changed his name to Nick.
Kevin Kilmer, Texas Tech graduate assistant: Leach had convinced himself – and convinced Potts — that Potts had an alter ego.
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech quarterback: We played Kansas at home. I think Doege started, and I went in at the end and we won. We drove all the way down the field and scored in the south end zone right there in front of the student section. All the way on that drive there was just check after check after check. … We marched right down. I came off the field and Mike grabbed me kind of like on the back of the neck. And he said something to the effect of: “Listen, you’re playing clear-headed, you’re playing fast, you’re playing confident, you’re playing just like Nick.”
Doege: What he said was, “Taylor is indecisive. Taylor overthinks things. Taylor doesn’t pull the trigger. But Nick! Nick has a free mind. Nick goes through his reads. Nick pulls the trigger.”
Zane Perry, Texas Tech equipment manager: It was the night before a game. He calls me and says: “Hey, I want you to put Nick on the back of Taylor Potts’ jersey.” I was like: “Coach, I can’t change his name plate the night before a game.” He was like: “I don’t care. Write it in Sharpie.”
Doege: Nick is literally on the back of Taylor’s jersey.
Perry: The following Sunday, Coach said, “I want to make sure you change all his jerseys from now on. Just have Nick. This is Nick Potts now.”
Kilmer: Potts beat Oklahoma when they were like No. 10 in the country with Nick on the back of his jersey.
Harrell: That was the magic behind his madness.
Stoops: As eccentric and different as he might have been, it still got back to: He was a great coach, and he got the best out of his guys.
