The news out of Stillwater feels surreal but not entirely surprising: Mike Gundy, the face of Oklahoma State football for nearly two decades, has been fired. It marks the end of an era defined by consistent competitiveness, a handful of high-level seasons, and an unmistakable cultural identity. But in the final chapter of Gundy’s tenure, the Cowboys didn't just fade — they fell hard. And in today’s college football landscape, refusing to adapt is a death sentence.
Not long ago, Oklahoma State was competing for Big 12 titles and national relevance. Just two seasons ago, the Cowboys were in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas, a goal-line stop away against Baylor from potentially crashing the College Football Playoff party and many other years of competing at the top. Gundy’s teams always punched above their weight. They developed talent, played smart football, and carved out a gritty identity in a crowded conference. But the last 18 months have seen that foundation crumble. The wins dried up. The talent gap widened. And it became clear that OSU was being left behind.
At the center of the downfall is a refusal, or perhaps a failure, to embrace the modern transfer portal era for what it has become: essential.
The portal is no longer just a place for backup quarterbacks and disgruntled linemen. It’s now a critical roster-building tool: a free-agency market, like what the NFL has, that rewards speed, adaptability, and aggressiveness. Programs that lean into it, like LSU, Miami, Texas Tech, and even traditional powers like USC, have seen immediate returns. Programs that resist, hoping to build slowly through traditional development and high school recruiting, are finding themselves outgunned week after week.
Gundy, for all his loyalty to player development and internal growth, bet against the direction of the sport. And that bet has backfired.
To be clear, there’s nobility in what Gundy tried to do. Building from within, developing players over 3–5 years, and avoiding the chaos of the portal is a purist's approach. It speaks to a belief in culture and continuity. But the current state of college football doesn’t reward patience — it demands immediacy. Holes in the roster are no longer long-term projects. They’re weekly liabilities. And while Gundy and his staff continued to pride themselves on “doing it the right way,” other programs were busy filling those holes with experienced, high-upside transfers.
The result? Oklahoma State became undermanned, outmatched, and ultimately, uncompetitive.
This isn't just about recruiting or NIL. It’s about the bigger picture — about veteran coaches across the country struggling to adapt to a game that’s evolving faster than ever. We’ve seen similar storylines unfold at other longtime programs where tradition clashed with transformation. Gundy, for all he accomplished, ultimately fell victim to the same pattern.
Make no mistake: Mike Gundy will go down as one of the most important figures in Oklahoma State football history. He elevated the program, put it on the national map, and brought a level of consistency few thought possible in Stillwater. But in the end, legacy wasn’t enough. In college football, you either evolve or you get passed by.
Now, Oklahoma State faces a crossroads. The Big 12 is wide open. The playoff is expanding. The transfer portal isn’t going anywhere. The next head coach will need to bring a new vision — one that embraces modern tools without losing the culture that made OSU proud. The challenge? Building a future without forgetting the past.
Mike Gundy gave the Cowboys everything he had. But it’s clear now: the game changed, and Oklahoma State didn’t change with it.