Following a tough season in Stillwater, tensions rose between Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The two sides went back and forth in contract renegotiations, with both sides making headlines at multiple points throughout the process. Ultimately, the Cowboys decided to retain Gundy and allow him to coach again in 2025.
At a press conference on Thursday, Gundy opened up about the process behind the scenes and detailed his thought process surrounding his future at Oklahoma State.
“We knew we were going to be in a rebuilding stage, numbers-wise, based on the players we had this year,” Gundy said. “And so I think that the fans will be really excited about Oklahoma State football. My energy level, my commitment to Oklahoma State, to Oklahoma State football, is stronger every year.”
“I didn’t have a sit down with the regents,” Gundy clarified. “I don’t know if you meant to say that, but I don’t. I don’t have sit-downs with regents. That’s not protocol, but Dr. Shrum, Chad, and I had really good conversations about the future, the portal, NIL, revenue sharing, and things that are very important in dealing with college athletics today. It gave me an opportunity to be a part of the future.”
While Gundy may have felt a rebuild coming on, the down year in 2024 came as a shock to nearly the entire country. The Cowboys were ranked as a Preseason Top 25 team by every major media outlet and were picked to finish third in the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll. The team returned the bulk of their roster from 2023, a season that ended in a loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Gundy finished his thoughts by saying, “You know, times are changing. We all know that. And so it really gave us a chance to visit and look to the future and what’s best for our athletic department and with me, obviously, particularly football. But once we’ve accomplished that, we went through the process of hiring coaches and new staff and rebuilding our roster. One thing I failed to say earlier is, you know, we had a very senior-dominated roster this year.”
Despite conversations surrounding Gundy’s commitment to Oklahoma State in the ever-changing era of modern athletics, he returns to the sidelines in Stillwater for his 21st season.
