Five teams that benefit from Oklahoma State firing Mike Gundy

The third Power Four Conference head coach firing of the 2025 season went down Tuesday afternoon, with Oklahoma State relieving Mike Gundy of his duties in the middle of his 21st season at the helm of the Cowboys’ program. While Oklahoma State’s administration hopes this move is in the best interests of the program going forward, other schools could benefit in the short and long term from Gundy’s dismissal in Stillwater.

Baylor

Look no further than Oklahoma State’s upcoming opponent in Saturday’s game when asking which school could benefit from today’s news. The Cowboys are set to travel to Baylor for a 2:30 pm CT contest on Saturday. Considering the upheaval with their head coach, there is bound to be a lot of emotions, questions and concerns surrounding the Cowboys’ players and assistant coaches this week. That makes preparing for a game on the road awfully difficult.

Baylor is 2-2 to start the season, following their narrow loss to Arizona State this past Saturday, and is hungry to add more wins, especially in-conference. The Bears were already 20-point favorites against the Cowboys, but the Gundy scenario should only help their chances for a win.

Tulsa

There were likely a myriad of reasons why Oklahoma State fired Gundy on Tuesday, but Tulsa’s 19-12 win in the Turnpike Classic on Friday was the final nail in the coffin. Being able to say you were the team that sent Oklahoma State’s head coach packing from Stillwater will give the Golden Hurricanes plenty of street cred around the Sooner State.

Tulsa and Oklahoma State did not recruit in exactly the same circles, but there has definitely been some overlap. In the 2026 class, local offensive tackle Aiden Martin as well as Waco, Tex., receiver Jabarie Thornton both took official visits to Tulsa even after committing to Oklahoma State. With Gundy out, Tre Lamb and his staff could get another shot at those players.

Kansas State

With Oklahoma State and Kansas State not set to meet until mid-November, there may be more off-field benefit for Kansas State than on-field benefit. The Wildcats are facing their own struggles this season, starting 1-3 with zero wins against FBS teams thus far. Gundy’s firing and Oklahoma State overall dismal performance to start the 2025 season does distract from the Wildcats own issues among Big 12 programs.

Where Kansas State could benefit most from Gundy’s firing, though, is on the recruiting trail. Oklahoma State has 15 commitments in the 2026 class, and Kansas State was a contenders for several of those players. Texas cornerback Brandon Ford and Bixby, Okla., safety Braeden Presley, in particular, took official visits to Kansas State before ultimately committing to Oklahoma State.

Iowa State

When Oklahoma State hosts Iowa State on the final weekend of the college football regular season, the Cyclones are likely to still have a lot to play for considering their 4-0 start and how the Big 12 Championship race is shaping up. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, will likely be ready for the 2025 season to end so they can do the work of building their future. Players will be thinking about the Portal, coaches will be thinking about their next jobs and an Iowa State team that could be playing for a Big 12 Championship berth will likely not be the top priority.

One side recruiting note here is that both Oklahoma State and Iowa State, along with Kansas, are finalists in the recruitment of 2026 Dodge City Community College defensive tackle Jowhar Franklin.

Ole Miss

Mississippi is another potential recruiting benefactor from Gundy’s firing. The Rebels and Cowboys went head to head for several prospects in the 2026 recruiting cycle, with Oklahoma State landing two - Arkansas defensive tackle Danny Beale and Owasso, Okla., defensive end Tajh Overton - that officially visited both schools. Overton and Beale are also the only two four-star prospects committed to Oklahoma State in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.

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