A former New Orleans Saints defensive line coach is heading to the Oklahoma State Cowboys to team up with head coach Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy is hiring veteran Todd Grantham to be @CowboyFB’s new defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN. Grantham has extensive DC experience at both the NFL and college level, including stops at Florida and Georgia. He was on the Saints’ defensive staff this season.
Chris Low of ESPN has reported that the Oklahoma State Cowboys and head coach Mike Gundy will be hiring former New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Todd Grantham as their defensive coordinator. Grantham had moved from the defensive line coach position to a senior advisor role in early November after Darren Rizzi took over as the interim head coach. The defensive line for the Saints had been struggling mightily with stopping the run in the early phases of the season, and this ultimately led to the move of Brian Young taking over as defensive line coach.
Grantham will join long-time Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy as he looks to facilitate some staffing changes on his team. Gundy had recently just agreed to a restructured contract to remain with the Oklahoma State Cowboys according to ESPN, which will include the former Saints defensive line coach as a start.
Breaking down what reportedly happened between Oklahoma State and Cowboys football coach Mike Gundy.
Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have heard about Mike Gundy clashing with his employer, Oklahoma State, and wondering what is going on. That’s OK because we’re here to help.
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy was in a standoff with the school over his salary and contract that seemingly resolved itself very quickly throughout the last couple days, according to multiple reports Friday and Saturday.
Oklahoma State also reportedly wasn’t ruling out firing Gundy if the coach was unwilling to compromise with the school.
The Cowboys have plenty of reasons to be less than pleased with Gundy, especially after they finished the 2024 season with an abysmal 3-9 record and zero (0) Big 12 victories. Ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, Oklahoma State won its first three games against South Dakota State, Arkansas and Tulsa before going on to lose the nine and closing with a 52-0 loss to Colorado.
So, not a great season for Gundy and co., and it sure seems like Oklahoma State leaders aren’t thrilled. So let’s break down what reportedly happened in the recent stalemate between the football coach and the school.
Reports Oklahoma State asked Mike Gundy to take a pay cut
Oct 5, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Mike Gundy enters the field for a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
The Oklahoman reported that the Oklahoma A&M Colleges Board of Regents met for more than two hours on Friday morning, and “the focus of the meeting was believed to be focused on Gundy and his contract status in the aftermath of a 3-9 season the struggles of which were exacerbated by Gundy’s comments about unhappy fans.” But the meeting ended without any action being taken.
“We have a plan,” Board chair Jimmy Harrel told the media as he left the meeting room, via The Oklahoman. “As soon as we have it tied down, we’ll inform you of it.”
Oklahoma State asked Gundy to accept a restructured contract and met with officials to talk about his future with the Cowboys, according to a report Friday from ESPN’s Pete Thamel citing anonymous sources. He was under contract through the 2028 season, and the proposed restructured agreement included a significant pay cut and decrease in his buyout.
Not only did Oklahoma State reportedly want to change the terms, but it also might have been a borderline ultimatum.
They have discussed firing him for cause if he doesn’t agree to the new contract. He's owed nearly $25 million on his current contract.
If Gundy didn’t agree to the restructured contract, there were talks of firing him for cause, though it’s not clear what may warrant being fired for cause, Thamel reported.
Mike Gundy agreed to a restructured contract with Oklahoma State
By Saturday, this whole mess was reportedly resolved.
Gundy and Oklahoma State reached an agreement on a restructured contract, meaning he’ll continue coaching the Cowboys, ESPN’s Chris Low reported Saturday citing sources.
Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State have reached an agreement on a restructured contract that will keep him as @CowboyFB’s coach. The resolution comes after days of discussions between the sides. Gundy, the winningest coach in school history, will enter his 21st season.
As part of the restructuring of Gundy’s contract, his $7.75 million annual salary will be reduced to be redistributed as part of revenue sharing with players, and his buyout will be reduced, sources told ESPN. Gundy would have been owed $25.3 million had he been fired without cause.
Has Oklahoma State said anything official about Mike Gundy’s new contract?
Other than Harrel’s comments following the Oklahoma A&M Colleges Board of Regents meeting Friday, Oklahoma State hasn’t really commented on the situation.
OSU dismissed offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo on Wednesday, but Friday’s special meeting was posted at approximately the same time “for the purpose of considering evaluation/assessment and other information relevant to the employment of Oklahoma State University football staff.”
Prior to him and the Cowboys agreeing to new contract terms going forward, his buyout in 2024 was $25,359,375, which is the 27th-largest.
What did Mike Gundy say about Oklahoma State fans?
Gundy isn’t one known to hold back, and he criticized fans during a press conference in November, saying “most people are weak” and said his critics are people who “can’t pay their own bills.”
“…in most cases, the people who are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job but they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then in the end when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”
Gundy ultimately apologized for his comments, but this was hardly his first controversy.
This summer at Big 12 media day, Gundy was criticized for appearing to make light of drinking and driving, saying: “I’ve probably done that a thousand times in my life.” He later clarified the point he was attempting to express.
My intended point today at Big 12 media days was that we are all guilty of making bad decisions. It was not a reference to something specific.
In another incident in 2020, Gundy agreed to take a $1 million pay cut and a reduced buyout after a public clash with players — who were threatening to boycott playing — over the coach wearing a far-right TV network, One America News T-shirt. In 2021, the school announced his salary and “perpetual five-year contract” were restored, ESPN reported.
How long has Mike Gundy been Oklahoma State’s football coach?
Gundy just finished coaching his 20th season with Oklahoma State, his alma mater, and after agreeing to a restructured contract, he’ll return for No. 21. As the Cowboys’ winningest coach, Gundy has a 169-88 record in 20 seasons, which included a 2011 Big 12 championship.
However, with the 3-9 finish this season, Gundy’s streak of leading the team to 18 straight bowl games was snapped.
Mike Gundy came out on the losing end of a battle with one of his cattle
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy is never dull. He always makes news whether deliberately or by accident.
The by accident portion took on a new meaning this weekend.
Gundy didn’t make his usual in-person appearance on a show. The reason? The Cowboys coach says he ha a run-in with one of his cattle and it left him with a mess of an eye that was bloody and not fit for public view.
Mike Gundy got head-butted by his cow…
“I had a little run-in with my cattle over the weekend.”
Gundy and Oklahoma State are 3-3 having lost their last three games. He will be facing BYU on Friday in a Big 12 game. The Cougars are undefeated in six games and have outscored their opponents by 108 points.
The 2024 college football season is off and running and yet many are still looking back at 2023. Why? Because of the cloud of controversy left by the Michigan Wolverines and the sign stealing scandal that left a bad taste with most fans outside of Ann Arbor.
There have been many who have weighed in now that the official notice of allegations has been sent to Michigan. With many seeing what was suspected all along and the NCAA’s findings, fans, media, and yes even college coaches are weighing in.
On opening weekend, a different OSU coach decided to make a joke at the Wolverine’s expense. After an Oklahoma State win over South Dakota State, Mike Gundy was asked about the new helmet communications system making its debut this season… technology implemented thanks to the Michigan sign-stealing allegations. Gundy said “They won’t let me hear it” and then went on to take a jab at Connor Stallions and The Team Up North.
Michigan has 90 days to respond to the formal notice of allegations. While no one knows exactly how the NCAA will rule as far as punishment goes, it is clear that most of the college football world believes Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines cheated their way to a national title in 2023.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
Something new in Stillwater, OK, and the rest of college football.
Oklahoma State players in 2024 will have QR codes on the back of their helmets. Coach Mike Gundy hopes the codes will enable people watching from home to build the NIL funds his Cowboys receive as they will link to a donation page for the school’s NIL fund,
“This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game,” Gundy said. “It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I’m thrilled about this opportunity for our players.”
Oklahoma State players will wear QR codes on the back of their helmets that link to the general team fund.
Mike Gundy: “This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game. It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a… pic.twitter.com/5YDfq21iVA
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy defended star RB Ollie Gordon II in a peculiar way
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy is standing by star running back Ollie Gordon II, who was arrested on June 30 for an alleged DUI.
Oklahoma State authorities observed Gordon swerving out of his lane twice and driving 82 mph in a 65 mph zone. He refused a field sobriety test and was arrested on complaints of DUI under 21 years of age, transporting an open container of alcohol, failing to maintain a single lane of traffic, and speeding 16-20 mph over the speed limit, according to a police report.
When given a breath test, Gordon blew a .11, above the .08 limit.
That would seem to be concerning to the school and its football coach.
Gundy, however, will not have Gordon miss any game time. Gordon won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football as a sophomore last season when he rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns.
“He’s going to play,” Gundy told ESPN on Tuesday. “I’m going to do what we think is best for Oklahoma State football, and I think it’s best for Ollie to play. If there’s any punishment, it’s making him carry the ball 50 times in the first game.”
Gundy, no stranger to controversy, then offered a bizarre and scary defense.
“I looked it up on my phone- what would be the legal limit?… 2 or 3 beers, or 4,” he said. “I’m not justifying what Ollie did; I’m telling you what decision I made. Well, I thought, I’ve probably done that a thousand times in my life.”
The Arkansas football program, since vaulting back into the top 10 at the beginning of October 2022, has gone 8-14 since.
That includes losses to Liberty and BYU, two programs that are solid but shouldn’t be on par with Arkansas, especially on its home field.
If Arkansas is going to field a competitive team next fall, i.e. win more than 6 games, we will know based on how they do in Week 2.
Oklahoma State, while hardly a national power, has been a consistent Top 25 team over the last decade-plus under Mike Gundy.
They are usually in the mix for a New Year’s Day bowl game and have flirted with the College Football Playoff a couple of times.
The UA-Pine Bluff game the week before the Oklahoma State trip will tell us nothing about Arkansas, just like Western Carolina this past season told us nothing about the Razorbacks in 2023.
Let’s say Arkansas goes into Stillwater and wins by 2-3 touchdowns. That would be a convincing enough victory to convince me (and others) that the program has turned a corner and could compete for a New Year’s Day bowl game.
A loss or even worse, a blowout loss? We’re right back to square one.
Grading the Oklahoma Sooners by position group in their loss to Oklahoma State.
If Saturday was the last time Bedlam is played, the Oklahoma Sooners will always regret how things went in their final game against their in-state rivals. The Sooners will walk away from this game knowing they have dominated this series. There’s no debating that the Sooners have owned the Cowboys. But on Saturday, Oklahoma had the chance to put one final bow on this lopsided series, and they didn’t get it done.
Oklahoma State came out swinging, and the Sooners responded. But the most common theme was Oklahoma’s offense stalling on four different possessions once they got to the Oklahoma State side of the field. Most notably on the Sooners’ final drive of the game.
Defensively, Oklahoma played well enough to win. After getting bullied early, the defense found its footing and locked in the remainder of the contest.
In the end, the dysfunction and mistakes on offense put Oklahoma in a near-impossible spot. When it mattered most, they couldn’t rectify their own mistakes.
Oklahoma will move on and turn their attention to West Virginia. Before that, it’s time to pass out grades for Oklahoma’s performance against Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Sooners entered the game looking to bounce back quickly after losing a close game on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Oklahoma played much better collectively this week. Ultimately, the result was the same. Now, Mike Gundy and his Oklahoma State Cowboys will have the distinction of owning the last win in the Bedlam series before it takes an indefinite pause.
The Sooners had every chance to put themselves in a position to win the game but failed multiple times to either extend their lead early in the fourth quarter or avoid big mistakes. As the dust settles, it’s time for our five takeaways from the game.
