Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been fired after more than two decades at the helm of the Cowboys, the school announced Tuesday. The move ends a tenure that once positioned the program among the Big 12’s elite. Gundy, 58, the second-longest tenured FBS coach, departs after a steep decline during the past two seasons, including a 3-9 record in 2024 and a 1-2 start to 2025 following the disappointing loss to Tulsa in Week 4.
“This is a decision about what’s best for our football program, our student-athletes and Oklahoma State University and it reflects our unwavering commitment to championship-level football and competing for national success,” said Oklahoma State President Jim Hess said in a statement released by the school. “Coach Gundy dedicated decades of his life to OSU, achieving significant success and positively impacting hundreds of young men who wore the OSU uniform. His contributions to our university, both as a player and coach, deserve our profound respect and will not be forgotten. We are grateful for his service and wish him and his family the very best.”
Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham will serve as the team’s interim coach. The former TCU, Houston and Kansas offensive coordinator played offensive line for the Cowboys from 1983-87.
Gundy transformed Oklahoma State into a consistent contender, guiding the Cowboys to eight double-digit win seasons, a Big 12 title in 2011 and 18 bowl appearances, including five New Year’s Six bowls. However, the program’s identity — long tied to strong quarterback play and NFL-bound receivers — has faded in recent seasons. Oklahoma State has not produced a quarterback taken in the NFL Draft since Mason Rudolph in 2018 nor a receiver selected since 2021, a drop-off coinciding with the onset of the NIL era.
The move comes after a rocky offseason when Gundy negotiated a restructured contract to remain at Oklahoma State despite the program enduring its worst season in decades, including a winless record against conference opponents for the first time in 30 years. The agreement ended a brief standoff between Gundy and the university brass, but questions about leadership, roster construction and adapting to the NIL landscape still lingered ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Gundy oversaw a sweeping staff overhaul this past offseason, firing offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn — the longest-tenured Oklahoma State assistant at the time — and defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo, hiring nine new assistants in an effort to reset the program. The 2025 roster features 65 new players overall, including 41 transfers.
Mike Gundy’s accomplishments as Oklahoma State coach
| Accolade | Details |
|---|---|
| Overall record | 170–90 in 21 seasons (2005–2025) |
| 10-win seasons | 8 times |
| National Coach of the Year awards | 2011 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award | 2011 Eddie Robinson Award |
| Big 12 Coach of the Year | Three times (2010, 2021, 2023) |
| Conference championship | 2011 Big 12 Champion |
| Top-10 ranking | 11 times (from 2008 to 2022) |
Gundy finishes with a 170-90 record across nearly 21 seasons, leaving behind a legacy as the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history and a transformative figure who elevated the Cowboys to national prominence, though his tenure ended amid a period of decline and program uncertainty.
What is Mike Gundy’s buyout?
Gundy’s contract ran 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 deal had 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.
Legendary run comes to an end
For as bad as the last two years of the Gundy era were in Stillwater, Oklahoma State football never would have reached its modern heights without the legendary coach. Prior to his arrival in 2005, the Cowboys had posted just three double-digit win seasons in program history. Under Gundy, they hit that mark eight times, won the school’s first outright Big 12 title in 2011 and became a constant fixture in the national rankings.
He turned Boone Pickens Stadium — previously Lewis Field — into one of the Big 12’s most difficult venues.
Still, the changing landscape of college football — with the rise of NIL and the transfer portal — left Gundy struggling to adapt. The same consistency that once made Oklahoma State one of the league’s most stable programs gave way to roster turnover and mounting frustration. Now, with its most successful coach stepping aside, Oklahoma State faces the challenge of finding a new leader capable of restoring the standard Gundy once set.
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