The Athletic Suggests Popular Name for Oklahoma State Opening

Oklahoma State is hoping to find the right guy to call Stillwater home.

Oklahoma State Athletic Director Chad Weiberg speaks at a press conference following the firing of head football coach Mike Gundy in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is looking for a new head coach, and finding the right man for the job will be critical.

Since firing Mike Gundy, OSU has been in the early stages of its search for the next head coach. In a recent article in The Athletic, Joe Rexrode made predictions for who would land at each Power 4 school’s opening.

The Athletic unsurprisingly predicted Zac Robinson to be the Cowboys’ next head coach. The former OSU quarterback has been an assistant in the NFL for years and is currently the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator, but a return to Stillwater could be in the near future.

While other big names, such as James Franklin, Todd Monken and Dan Mullen were predicted to land at other stops, OSU is anticipated by many to go with a hire that isn’t splashy.

Aug 15, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Of course, there isn’t any secret at this point about OSU’s interest in Robinson and vice versa. It seemed to almost be a given that the Cowboys would at least look in that direction if/when the job was open.

Considering Robinson’s ties to Stillwater, it would make sense for him to at least give it some consideration. Yet, the obvious connections between the two don’t necessarily make it a done deal or the right decision.

It will take years to judge whether OSU hired the right coach in this cycle, given where the program sits now. However, it might not take long to figure out if all of the smoke with Robinson is real or not.

Oct 24, 2009; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson (11) on the sidelines against the Baylor Bears at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Bears 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The presumptive favorite to land the job, Robinson’s coaching career has been exclusively at the NFL level. While OSU probably shouldn’t be too worried about that in terms of translating that success to the college level, it might need to be concerned about whether Robinson has only coached in the NFL because that’s all he’s interested in.

On the current path he’s on, a few more years of success could put Robinson’s name in discussions to land a head coaching job in the NFL. So, there’s a case that it could be shortsighted for Robinson to settle for the head coaching job at the worst performing Power 4 school in the country.

All things considered, Robinson would likely be seen as a solid hire by everyone, but if success on the field doesn’t follow, it could be looked back on as a mistake that sets both sides back years.

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