Mike Gundy is in his 21st season as the coach of his alma mater, Oklahoma State, which makes him the second-longest tenured coach in FBS behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
Despite his position as a legendary figure at the program, Gundy’s seat has steadily gotten hotter over the past two seasons as the Cowboys went 3-9 and missed out on making a bowl game last year for the first time since his first season in 2005. This year, Gundy’s Cowboys have gotten off to a woeful start, headlined by a beatdown at the hands of Oregon, and the rumblings about whether it’s time for Oklahoma State to make a change have only grown louder.
After last year’s struggles, Gundy and Oklahoma State agreed to a restructured contract that included a $1 million pay cut and a decreased buyout that opened the door for a change sooner than later if the Cowboys didn’t turn things around quickly.
Mike Gundy shaped Oklahoma State’s modern identity — now it’s time for a new one
Chip Patterson
Mike Gundy contract, buyout details
Gundy’s new contract runs through 2028 and pays him $6.75 million in 2025 with a $125,000 raise annually. Unlike most coaching contracts that have a percentage buyout, Gundy’s new deal has a flat rate buyout structure. If he’s fired in the first three years of the deal, Oklahoma State will pay him $15 million. If he’s fired in the fourth year of the deal, his buyout is $10 million.
The contract also included language about Gundy participating in the program’s succession plan for identifying the next Oklahoma State coach, via News9, calling for Gundy to collaborate with Oklahoma State “in identifying, evaluating and developing a successor for Employee’s position, as well as facilitating a smooth transition to such successor.”
The idea of the new contract was to create an smooth off-ramp for Gundy to depart the Oklahoma State program and the Cowboys to have a coach in waiting ready to take over. However, after another slow start it’s not clear if that plan will be accelerated and if Gundy will be given time to be part of that succession process.
Read the full article here