Of the now 136 programs that comprise college football's FBS level, only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has been at his job longer than Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, who took over for Les Miles in Stillwater in 2005. Gundy, a former Cowboys quarterback, certainly seems like a potential Pokes lifer, though he has flirted with top tier jobs in the past.
After a 4-7 first season in Stillwater, Gundy's Oklahoma State program didn't win fewer than seven games or miss a bowl in 18 consecutive seasons between 2006 and 2023. Then, the team—which entered '24 with high expectations—absolutely fell off a cliff, going 3-9. Gundy's seat grew hot in a hurry, to the point where he and the Cowboys had a contract standoff in December. Gundy ultimately accepted a paycut and a reduced buyout on his new deal, which runs through 2028.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Gundy holds onto the job for that long, with his buyout down from $25 million to a much more manageable $15 million this year. ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel believes the Oklahoma State coach's job remains in real trouble entering the 2025 season.
“I really think Mike Gundy’s job will be in trouble,” Thamel said on College Football Live Friday, per On3. “When wanting to know what institutions do, (Watergate sleuths Bob) Woodward and (Carl) Bernstein told us to follow the money. Well, Oklahoma State made it very clear, with Mike Gundy’s money, what their intentions are. They gave him a pay cut of a million dollars last year, after the winless Big 12 team, and they also cut the amount of his buyout to fire him. You don’t need to be an investigative reporter to see their actions, leading towards some type of action on Gundy if the results don’t get better in 2025.”
Gundy has found himself in hot water over the years, often for the things he's said off the field, but with eight seasons of at least 10 wins, the Cowboys have been willing to look past those controversies. If there continue to be diminishing returns on the field after the three-win campaign in '24, it certainly would not be a surprise to see Oklahoma State seek to move on from Gundy after what transpired last winter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN's Pete Thamel Says One of CFB's Longest-Tenured Coaches's Job Is in Real Trouble.
