Oklahoma State Can't Hesitate to Move on From Mike Gundy Era

The Cowboys are making some big changes.

Sep 19, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Mike Gundy on the sidelines during the first half against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State has a new coach, and a new era means big changes.

Over the past two decades, things in Stillwater have mostly been consistent. Mike Gundy and his staff typically built up the program by attracting underrated talent and developing those players throughout their college careers.

With that path mostly gone in this age of college football, the Cowboys decided that they needed to change course, firing Gundy after just three games. While the Pokes’ 1-2 record at the time of Gundy’s firing steadily became a 1-11 season, it was never something the Cowboys were all that concerned about. 

As OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg made clear in his press conference after Gundy’s firing, the move wasn’t about making things better for 2025. Instead, the move was all about making things better for the future, and that same mindset has to be applied as Eric Morris takes over.

Although it won’t be pretty in the early stages, Morris’ move to Stillwater will include plenty of moves with the long-term future in mind. Most recently, Morris’ arrival has seen the reported termination of most of the 2025 football staff and the decommitments of a number of OSU’s 2026 class.

Unsurprisingly, those actions have been criticized by the OSU fan base as a potential drawback of Morris’ hiring. However, the Cowboys and their fans have to let this process play out. Most of those who have had to change plans over the past few days were products of Gundy’s time in Stillwater.

Considering OSU was ready to part ways with Gundy after just three games, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Morris and his crew would want full control over the situation they’re walking into. 

It’s undeniable that Morris’ arrival has made things difficult for the Cowboys’ 2026 recruiting class and the significant changes some recruits have had to make since his arrival. Still, that’s simply the nature of college football today.

In this era of the transfer portal and NIL, it simply doesn’t make sense for new coaches to be loyal to a recruiting class it had nothing to do with. Much like it would make sense for players who don’t want to play for Morris to decommit on their own, it makes just as much sense for a new coach to let recruits know that there likely won’t be a role on the team for them.

This era of college sports can be brutal for a number of reasons, but to build a winner in Stillwater, Morris and the Cowboys can’t afford to play nice.

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