Kingsbury returned to his alma mater as Texas Tech's 15th full-time head coach on December 12, 2012, following the abrupt departure of coach Tommy Tuberville to Cincinnati preceding the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced the hire with a video linked from his Twitter account. The video panned over to Kingsbury, who flashed the Guns Up sign and said, "Wreck 'em, Tech." Kingsbury's contract included a base salary of $10.5 million over 5 years, and creative control over the team's uniforms.