Sean Gleeson Talks About His One Non-Negotiable on Offense

We got to talk to Sean Glesson last week for the first of what will likely be many times over the next few years, and he was as engaging as he was energetic (and he was plenty energetic). Gleeson, who appears on the surface to be less humorous but maybe more gleeful than his predecessor, talked about a variety of things, but the one that caught my eye up front was his emphasis on how important Mike Gundy is to him and to this position.

“Coach Gundy (made this a different job that I was willing to take),” said Gleeson. “I’m not in an evaluation position. I’m in a ‘do a good job for the head man’ position, but when you look at some of these jobs and some of these coaches around the country, he stands out above the rest.”

This has to be music to the ears of a man who craves control and continuity. It’s also a long way from his first OC of this new era — Dana Holgorsen back in 2010 — who probably desired a galvanized offensive staff as I do for a Cade Davis throwback jersey. Things are different now, though, which means they’re similar to when Mike Yurcich was calling the shots.

“They have a great foundation here offensively, and I’m doing my best to learn right now what we’ve had in place here has been tremendously successful,” said Gleeson. “It’s just a matter of soaking it all up and pointing in the right direction and getting organized. I’m going to take the best from everybody.”

“Every successful staff I’ve been on is less about a hierarchy and more about a great dialogue you have as a group. I am welcoming a dialogue to open it up and make sure we’re pointing in the right direction.

” … We’re all in this thing together. Fortunately, whether it’s Coach Dunn or Coach Mac or Coach Woz who have been here or Coach Dickey or myself, I’m really happy with the group of guys we have. There’s a ton of experience and a ton of really good coaches in that room.”

But it all points back to Gundy, who is now the third-longest tenured coach at the same school behind Kirk Farentz of Iowa (1999) and Gary Patterson of TCU (2005).

“He’s been here for a ton of time,” said Gleeson. “He’s dedicated to this place. His style of play on offense suits the way that I like to coach kids. If there’s one thing that’s non-negotiable about me it’s going to be no-huddle, and that’s a good match for this place.”

There’s a better chance of Mike Boynton going recruiting in Reeboks than there is of OSU huddling up on offense so Gleeson doesn’t have to worry about that. And he apparently doesn’t have to worry about adapting to a new environment in his new home, either.

“I don’t have a pair of cowboy boots yet,” said Gleeson. “My family has been out for a little bit, and they enjoyed it. They loved it. The community here — everybody pays lip service to the type of people that are at a place — but when you get here, it’s really striking. People go above and beyond to invite you in and teach you what they love about this place.”