This is how the Mike Gundy era ends: With a 69-3 loss to Oregon that represents the program’s largest margin of defeat since 1907, a loss to in-state upstart Tulsa for the first time since 1998 and a midweek firing one day after Gundy responded to what he termed ‘fair questions’ about his dwindling job security.
The Oklahoma State job is open for the first time since 2005, when Gundy was promoted to replace LSU-bound Les Miles. The last season for the Cowboys that didn’t feature Gundy in some capacity was in 2000, when he was an assistant coach at Maryland.
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The former Oklahoma State quarterback leaves a wide legacy as the winningest coach in program history and some big shoes to fill. Still, his successor will face less pressure given how the Cowboys have cratered since the start of last year.
These coaches would fit the bill for the Cowboys, starting with a pair of Group of Five head coaches ready for a bigger challenge:
Eric Morris, North Texas
A former receiver for Texas Tech, the Mike Leach and Kliff Kingsbury disciple has done good work at North Texas, going from five wins in 2023 to a First Responder Bowl bid last season to this year’s 4-0 start, which includes recent wins against Washington State and Army. Morris previously spent four years (2018-21) at Incarnate Word, where he recruited and developed Cam Ward; the two were reunited in 2022 with Morris as the offensive coordinator at Washington State. Morris has the chops as an offensive coach and the knowledge of the region to be a very strong fit in Stillwater.
GJ Kinne, Texas State
Kinne is a little less experienced than Morris, whom he replaced as the coach at Incarnate Word in 2022. Kinne has also never been a full-time assistant in the Power Four. But his record speaks volumes: Texas State went 8-5 in each of his first two years and is one of the favorites in the Sun Belt this season. Like Morris, he has a track record of productive offenses built around strong quarterback play.
Dana Holgorsen, Nebraska offensive coordinator
The former Oklahoma State coordinator might not represent enough of a break from the Gundy era. Holgorsen also failed to capitalize on a 12-win season at Houston in 2021, posting a losing record in three of his five years with the Cougars. He was also coach for eight years at West Virginia. Holgorsen almost certainly install a must-see offense that would play well in the Big 12.
Justin Fuente
Fuente is currently out of coaching and beginning a job as a consultant with the College Football Playoff. He’s also indicated no desire to get back onto the sidelines after a disappointing end to his six-year tenure at Virginia Tech that finished in 2021. But he’s an Oklahoma native who would lend the program a degree of professionalism and, like others on this list, has a long background and defined success on the offensive side.
Jim Knowles, Penn State defensive coordinator
If OSU wants to lean toward a defense-minded coach instead, Knowles would be a logical call given his experience under Gundy (2018-21). Knowles recently was the coordinator for Ohio State’s national champions and was hired at Penn State this past offseason. He also has head coach at experience at Cornell, where he went 26-34 from 2004-09.
Will Stein, Oregon offensive coordinator
Stein is undoubtedly a future head coach given the success he’s had across multiple starting quarterbacks at Oregon. The former Louisville quarterback has also worked at Texas, Texas-San Antonio and Lake Travis High School, one of the state’s top programs. The question might not be whether Stein would be a good fit in Stillwater but whether he’s a gettable target for Oklahoma State. Would he wait for a better Power Four opportunity?
Zac Robinson, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator
Here’s an interesting candidate off the NFL ranks. Robinson was a three-year starter under center for the Cowboys (2007-09) who bounced around the NFL before entering coaching in 2019. His career has skyrocketed since: Robinson went from the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams that season, took on the title of passing-game coordinator in 2022 and was hired by the Falcons in January of 2024. Ties to the program will get Robinson’s name in the mix, but his youth and lack of any college experience are red flags.
Tre Lamb, Tulsa
Why not hire the local coach who just beat you? Lamb, 36, is one of the youngest coaches in the Bowl Subdivision despite being a head coach since 2020, when he was hired at Gardner-Webb. That Tulsa is his first taste of this level of competition is an issue, for one, and Lamb wouldn’t move the needle like other names under consideration. It would require some forward thinking from Oklahoma State to make this hire.