An OSU football bounce-back starts with Mike Gundy

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Football is still always on Mike Gundy’s mind — maybe an unhealthy amount of time.

Gundy, the 58-year-old Oklahoma State football coach entering his 21st season, insists his energy level is as high as it's ever been. He’s still chasing wins and is still attached to the sport he’s been involved with most of his life.

“I still wake up in the middle of the night, and football is on my mind,” Gundy said in January. “Unfortunately at my age, when I have to get up and go to the bathroom, when I’m walking toward the bathroom and walking back from the bathroom, football is on my mind.”

That Gundy — who says he’s still football crazy — is who the Cowboys are counting on most for a turnaround in the 2025 season.

This time a year ago, expectations for OSU were sky high. They returned a bevy of offensive and defensive production. They were coming off a Big 12 Championship game appearance. They had a superstar running back in Ollie Gordon II. Why not the Cowboys as a potential College Football Playoff team?

But thanks to injuries, poor quarterback play and several inconsistencies on both sides of the football, OSU’s season came crashing down. The Cowboys finished 3-9 overall — the worst under Gundy — and went winless in conference play. Several changes followed.

Now it’s up to Gundy and this Cowboys team to return to winning form. A new staff. A new roster. A new identity. Almost everything is new in Stillwater, except for the head man. In six days, OSU will chase the bounce-back it badly needs.

“The season we had last year is not going to sit well with me,” Gundy said. “That’s just not going to be good.”

Unfamiliar territory

At OSU’s Aug. 2 football media day, Gundy was asked who his best players are.

His answer was quick, but short.

“Don’t know.”

The Cowboys have a lot of figuring out to do. Hauss Hejny and Zane Flores, the two players battling for the quarterback job, have never thrown a pass in college. The wide receiver room is almost brand new. So is the offensive line and rushing attack.

Defensively, the Cowboys’ secondary is experienced but put together with players who transferred in from different programs across the country. Their top linebacker and edge rusher from the previous two seasons — Nick Martin and Colin Oliver — went to the NFL.

This level of roster uncertainty is uncommon for a Gundy-coached team. During the past 20 seasons, the Cowboys became known for developing overlooked talent. Now it’s about asking new faces to have an immediate impact.

That doesn’t phase Gundy, though. Getting a fresh look has been “energizing,” he said.

“I’m not concerned,” Gundy said. “There’s a bunch of guys who could run around out there and make plays. The talent level is fine. The uncertainty is just going into work in the morning and not knowing what’s going to happen.”

New faces also arrived on OSU’s staff. After finishing 3-9, Gundy let go of coordinators Bryan Nardo (defense) and Kasey Dunn (offense) in December.

Now it’s Todd Grantham calling the Cowboys’ defense and Doug Meacham leading OSU’s offense. Grantham has 35 years of coaching experience and Meacham has been an OC at multiple Power Four schools.

Firing Dunn — who spent 14 seasons at OSU — and Nardo showed that the Cowboys needed change. Gundy hasn’t gone down that route often, but 2024 was too poor of a showing. OSU needed a reset.

“This was the most difficult December in my career because I don’t like letting people go,” Gundy said in January. “I don’t like affecting people’s families, kids (and) lifestyle. I just don’t like that. But in my situation, tough decisions have to be made.”

Confidence

When Shamar Rigby entered the transfer portal, several Power Four schools were interested in his services.

But the former Purdue wide receiver picked OSU and is confident the program is still headed in the right direction even after last season. He didn’t want to overlook the Cowboys’ recent history.

“They’ve been winning for years,” Rigby said. “One year doesn't define anybody.”

A belief similar to Rigby’s runs throughout OSU.

Under Gundy, the Cowboys put together an 18-year bowl game streak from 2006-24 and have reached 10 wins eight times. OSU has also made five New Year’s Six bowl games and won a Big 12 title.

Although the Cowboys had to go back to the drawing board after the 2024 season, they’re confident in a turnaround this season and aren’t looking past what Gundy has done during his time coaching his alma mater.

“(Gundy) didn’t forget everything he knows overnight,” OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg said in January. “There was just a lot of confidence there in that he knows this place better than anybody. He’s been here. He’s played here. He’s coached here for a long time. He’s loyal. He loves this place.”