Gundy Discusses Philosophy on Staff Changes for Oklahoma State

STILLWATER — The Cowboys’ 2024 season isn’t going as expected.

Oklahoma State went into its bye week at 3-3. The Cowboys returned bundles of production from a team that finished 10-4 last season and made an appearance in the Big 12 title game. But despite returning essentially the entire offense, the Cowboys are 0-3 in conference games and have been outscored 102-53 in those contests.

As happens with any struggling team, coaching has been called into question. Mike Gundy isn’t one to take staff changes lightly. Among his coordinators and position coaches, the average time they’ve been on staff is 7.4 years, and that includes first-year coaches Paul Randolph (defensive line) and Sean Snyder (specialists). In fact, Gundy has five assistants who have been at OSU at least a decade.

Gundy was asked Monday about his philosophy on staff changes.

“Evaluating coaches during the season and at the end of the season and potentially making changes over my 20 years has been something that’s not been a big part of who I am,” Gundy said. “I believe that the coaches that I hire, that I’m responsible for them performing and putting us in a position to have success. And that’s a 24/7 job for me. My responsibility is to see things that I feel need adjusted or need fixed and have discussions with those coaches or that side of the ball, whatever particular side it may be. Then if I can see improvements being made in one specific area or on one side of the football, then I feel like that’s us making progress, moving in the right direction.

“That’s a job that’s 24/7, as I mentioned. It never stops. So I have to evaluate each and every day, each and every week, and each and every December at the end of the season.”

OSU’s offense ranks 13th in the Big 12, averaging 309.2 yards a game. That ranks 71st nationally. The Cowboys’ defense, meanwhile, ranks last in the Big 12, giving up 493.5 yards a game. That’s No. 129 (of 134) nationally. OSU’s rushing offense ranks 124th nationally despite having the reigning Doak Walker winner in the backfield behind most of the same offensive line that helped him earn that award last season. OSU’s rush defense ranks 129th nationally just like OSU does in total defense. It’s not good.

Making a change on staff is one thing but making a change midway through the year is something totally different. Even in a world of expanded coaching staffs that include myriad analysts, quality control coaches and the likes, Gundy said it isn’t as simple as moving a coach out and another in. Gundy said he would need a “really, really” good reason to make a midseason switch and that he feels a midseason change might cause more disruption than good.

“I think every situation is different,” Gundy said. “I’ve never felt like there was a reason of a benefit for the current team to make a midseason change. I know people do that, but you’re asking me specifically, and I have never seen a time when it would benefit the team to make a midseason change.”