He received the Sammy Baugh Trophy after a stellar college career.
Although Kingsbury was a talented athlete, he had to wait his turn at Texas Tech. He started in the season finale against Oklahoma and appeared in six games overall, completing 25 of 57 passes for 492 yards with four touchdowns to just one interception. He was the starter from that point on, and the Red Raiders managed to put together some successful seasons with him under center.
Texas Tech finished the 2000 season with a 7-6 record, going 5-3 in conference play. They started out 4-0, and wins over Baylor, Kansas and Oklahoma State earned them an appearance in Galleryfurniture.