The Wild Card Options For Mike Gundy's New Offensive Coordinator
Yesterday, Robert wrote an article covering the possible candidates for the now open offensive coordinator position at Oklahoma State. In the article he listed two names close to home for Mike Gundy, current wide receivers and associate head coach Kasey Dunn and former OSU offensive coordinator and current Cleveland Browns OC.
Robert also mentioned a third option for Mike Gundy, a wild card. Gundy has taken this route before in the hiring of Mike Yurchich and Sean Gleeson, coming from Shippensburg (D2) and Princeton, respectively.
Neither of these schools are normally thought of as hotbeds for offensive powers or great offensive minds but Gundy managed to find guys who have run very powerful offenses, including last year that featured a 2,000 yard rusher and Doak Walker Award Finalist in Chuba Hubbard.
To be an OC for Mike Gundy, he seems to have a few requirements. It looks like he wants his OC to have played quarterback before and also have experience with coaching quarterbacks, something Gundy looks to have valued for a play caller.
I have composed a list of three names in the FCS ranks that seem to fit the criteria Mike Gundy is looking for in an offensive coordinator.
The first is Ian Shoemaker, 46 year old offensive coordinator and QB coach at Eastern Washington. Shoemaker was responsible for putting together the #1 FCS offense in the country that saw his QB throw for 3,712 yards and 31 TD’s along with 558 yards and 8TD’s on the ground. His total offense this year ended with 40.6 points a game and 524.8 yards per game. Shoemaker also has 5 years of head coaching experience at CWU, where his offense averaged very similar numbers.
My second name is the man responsible for the 2nd ranked offense in the FCS, Greg Stephens, OC and QB coach at Southeastern Louisiana. Stephens managed to put together an offense that boasted 4,607 yards passing with 35 TD’s between two quarterbacks during the year with one getting a majority of the snaps. He was able to get five separate receivers over 500 yards receiving to go along with just over 2,000 yards rushing as a team. His 2019 offense averaged 36.6 points and 484.8 yards per game.
The third name is a bit of a wild card of wild cards in the terms that he’s much older than the other two and isn’t actually an offensive coordinator right now, but he is close. This option goes to Randy Hedberg of North Dakota State. Hedberg is currently the associate head coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bison. North Dakota State is essentially the ruler of FCS football, winning the national championship in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and are once again in the title game for this season. They’ve only missed one championship 9 years and Randy Hedberg was a key component of the offensive makeup starting in the 2014 season all the way to now. Hedberg was the man responsible for the development and rise of the 2016 #2 overall pick, Carson Wentz. In 2019, the Bison offense averaged 477.3 yards and 37.9 points per game, both good for top 8 in the FCS. Hedberg has 37 years of coaching experience, 17 of which came as a head coach, all at smaller division schools.
One drawback with Hedberg, is the offensive structure at North Dakota State seems to be more conventional than what Oklahoma State has employed in the years since Dana Holgorsen was in Stillwater. That offense, more closely resembles the offenses that Gundy, himself, coordinated prior to Holgorsen and so much spread.
These three options I have laid out are obviously not definite candidates but it is very easy to believe that Gundy will follow the same mindset as in the past when looking for his new OC and these three fit that mold.
In the fans eyes, these will not be the flashiest of hires, but who knows… with Spencer Sanders and Tylan Wallace healthy and possibly getting Chuba Hubbard back for another year, these three guys could probably do alot of damage in the Big 12.
