"Complete disaster": Mike Gundy's final days at Oklahoma State revealed

As Oklahoma State searches for the best candidates to be the program's next head coach, new details are emerging on Mike Gundy's final days in Stillwater.

Mike Gundy, former Oklahoma State football coach. | Todd Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There is little question that Mike Gundy made Oklahoma State a better job than the one the longtime head coach found. Yet, Gundy's tenure at Oklahoma State came to an abrupt end, and new details are emerging on how things ended in Stillwater.

On3's Josh Pate described things behind the scenes at Oklahoma State as a "complete disaster," which led to Gundy's firing on Tuesday. Pate added that Gundy appeared "checked out" during his brief stint as head coach in 2025.

Mike Gundy, College Football legend 🫡

Career résumé:
• 170-90 record
• 12 bowl wins
• Made a bowl game in 18 consecutive seasons from 2006-2023
• 8 different 10-win seasons
• 2 different 12-win seasons
• 10 ranked finishes
• 5 Top 15 finishes
• OK State was ranked in… pic.twitter.com/TXrF5Zn7M3

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 23, 2025

"I think he was already checked out this year," the analyst noted on Tuesday's edition of "Josh Pate's College Football Show." "The word was that it was a complete disaster behind the scenes at Oklahoma State. And the word was they came to him and sort of strong-armed him into taking a pay cut this past year.

"And the pay cut, the money saved from the pay cut, was going to go into the NIL fund. And then he took the pay cut, and then the money didn't really go where he expected it to go. A lot of staffers kind of got out of Dodge when they could. And I really think Mike Gundy was just kind of on autopilot this year."

Who are the top candidates to be the next Oklahoma State head coach?

It is admittedly odd timing to fire a coach before Big 12 conference play even begins. Oklahoma State is likely hoping there is a bit of first-mover advantage by entering the college football coaching carousel before most teams make moves.

College Football HQ on SI explored the early candidates at Oklahoma State. The Pokes former quarterback Zac Robinson is generating some early buzz. Robinson is currently the Falcons offensive coordinator and would bring familiarity of Oklahoma State to Stillwater.

Oklahoma state let’s make Zac Robinson the head coach!

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 23, 2025

Oklahoma State could also turn to a rival as Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is a name to watch for the Cowboys, per The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and Ralph Russo. Arbuckle is expected to have widespread interest as more head coaching vacancies emerge across college football.

How the Oklahoma State job compares to Virginia Tech and UCLA

It has been a fast start to the college football coaching carousel with UCLA and Virginia Tech hitting the reset button before Oklahoma State. These three jobs will draw comparisons until more Power 4 programs also start looking at resumes on LinkedIn.

Oklahoma State is not that far removed from being a Big 12 title contender. The Pokes made the Big 12 Championship at Arlington in 2021.

With the wide-open Big 12, it is reasonable to think that the right coach could have Oklahoma State as a College Football Playoff threat sooner rather than later. Fans will have to search longer to find examples of success at Virginia Tech and UCLA.

The question for all three programs is how financially committed each one is to the new NIL era. Finances aside, a strong argument can be made that Oklahoma State is the most appealing opening, but the Pokes may need to act fast, as this may not be the case by the end of the season, when more jobs become vacant.