Firing Mike Gundy Midseason Has Already Helped OSU's Eric Morris Era

The Cowboys made a difficult but necessary move in September.

Nov 18, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; A detailed view of an Oklahoma State Cowboys helmet on the sideline of the game against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State has made some big moves this offseason, and it was likely helped by OSU’s midseason coaching search.

Coming into the 2025 season, there were numerous uncertainties surrounding OSU football. With an almost entirely new coaching staff under Mike Gundy, there was no shortage of new faces on the sidelines in Stillwater.

Add in the player movement in the offseason after having such a veteran team in 2024, and the Cowboys were in a position to be one of the most improved teams in the Big 12 in 2025. Of course, none of that went according to plan.

However, this offseason could prove to be the opposite for the Cowboys. With Eric Morris making some big moves in the transfer portal and OSU’s trajectory pointing up for the foreseeable future, there’s no doubt that the Cowboys are in a better position now than they were a year ago.

While the move was unpopular to some at the time, firing Gundy just three games into the season might have been the catalyst for a new successful era of Cowboy football. After losing to Tulsa, the Cowboys only waited a few days before sending the coach of over two decades out the door.

It wasn’t the most well-received move among the fanbase. After allowing Gundy to stick around and bring in a new staff for 2025, there was a general sentiment that OSU would give Gundy the entire year to try and make things right.

While OSU clearly didn’t see any success after firing him in 2025, it’s turned out to be the right move. Firing Gundy allowed the Cowboys to begin a new coaching search with no strings attached and no awkwardness from Gundy midseason.

Sure, in an ideal world, the Cowboys would have been able to let Gundy finish out the season, be given his flowers by the fanbase on his way out and prepare for a smooth transition at head coach in the offseason. Unfortunately for Gundy, this is far from an ideal world in college football.

By letting Gundy finish out the season, OSU would’ve been well behind the curve. While Morris was still coaching at North Texas even after the Pokes had officially hired him, his ability to prepare for the move to Stillwater during the season and OSU being able to fully focus on him was instrumental.

It might not have been popular at the time, but giving Morris a blank slate upon arrival instead of being Gundy’s immediate successor set the Pokes up for success.

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