Could UAB or Arkansas State Be Mike Gundy’s Next Stop or Is He Still Waiting on a Power 4 Call?
Former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has made it clear: he’s not done coaching. After parting ways with the Cowboys following nearly two decades at the helm, the 57-year-old coach appears interested in getting back on the sidelines. The big question now is where and at what level.
This week, longtime college football analyst Pat Forde floated two Group of 5 programs that could be strong fits for Gundy, both geographically and politically: UAB and Arkansas State. While neither job carries the prestige of a Power 4 position, both offer intriguing upside — particularly for a veteran coach looking to reboot his career and potentially work his way back into the national spotlight.
Let’s start with UAB. The Blazers, currently navigating a rocky season under head coach Trent Dilfer, and recently made a change firing Dilfer to place Alex Mortensen, the son of late award-winning ESPN NFL Insider Chris Mortensen, as interim coach. Forde didn’t mince words when referencing the Dilfer hire as a “disastrous” experiment — an attempt to fast-track success with a coach lacking collegiate experience. The program will look to replace inexperience with one of the most seasoned coaches on the market.
Gundy has 260 games and 170 wins under his belt. He knows how to build and maintain a program, and UAB, sitting in the recruiting hotbed of Birmingham, offers fertile ground. While the top-tier Alabama and Georgia prospects will always get scooped up by the SEC’s elite, a strong Group of 5 program like UAB could carve out a niche and become a consistent threat in the American Athletic Conference, currently the strongest G5 league and one with a legitimate path to the expanded College Football Playoff.
Arkansas State is another potential landing spot, though the Red Wolves haven’t officially made a move yet. Butch Jones’s five-year run in Jonesboro has been underwhelming, with a 22–35 record and minimal momentum. If a change does happen, Gundy would be just a 6.5-hour drive from his Oklahoma roots and could slide into a program that, while under the radar, has shown flashes of high-level competitiveness in the past.
The Sun Belt has quietly become one of the most entertaining and competitive conferences in college football. For a coach like Gundy, who might relish the chance to develop players, build a culture, and win right away, Arkansas State could be a platform to do just that. Plus, the surrounding region offers decent recruiting access, from Memphis and Little Rock to parts of Tennessee and Georgia.
However, there’s still a big unknown: Is Gundy ready to take the Group of 5 plunge, or is he holding out for another shot at a Power 4 gig?
While UAB and Arkansas State offer opportunity and a manageable path back into the national conversation, Gundy might prefer to wait and see how the Power 4 coaching carousel shakes out. His political views and outspoken persona could make for a tricky fit at certain schools, Forde specifically called out Colorado State and Oregon State as potential mismatches, but it only takes one athletic director to see Gundy as a culture fit and proven winner.
For now, schools like UAB and Arkansas State remain realistic options — maybe even smart ones. But whether Gundy is ready to dive into a rebuild at the Group of 5 level or keep waiting for the big call remains to be seen.
Either way, don’t expect him to be on the sidelines for long.