How OSU Should Fill Its New Assistant Coach Spot

Next Tuesday, an NCAA rule change will go into effect that allows teams to add an additional 10th assistant to their staffs. Oklahoma State, who has a couple of glaring needs to fill, should choose wisely what it does with that position.

Let’s look at one of two directions the Cowboys could go, as posited by Kyle Porter recently.

Immediate Need: Special Teams Coordinator

Oklahoma State has not employed a full-time special teams coordinator since Joe DeForest left for West Virginia with Dana Holgorsen in 2011. Since then, special teams duties have been handled by a string of graduate assistants and Mike Gundy himself.

Prior to the 2017 (and the train wreck that saw Oklahoma State end the season ranked 126th in special teams efficiency), I wrote that the obvious choice for the 10th coach was special teams coordinator. That still holds water.

So who should fill that spot? Many have brought up DeForest (who’s currently on staff at Kansas) for the position simply because he has a history with OSU and coached up some decent units. The Cowboys ranked in the top 30 in the above mentioned metric his last three seasons in Stillwater, with a No. 8 finish in 2008.

But the notion that OSU should and does hire someone just because “they’ve worked here before” is overblown and the sentiment is overrated.

You can either coach or you can’t. I think Mike Gundy needs to go find the sharpest up-and-coming coach that is the best fit personality-wise. It doesn’t have to be the special teams coordinator at Tulane, just someone that can coach. Even if that means calling up a GA that you trust to take the next step a la Carson Cramer, invest in special teams.

Future Need: Recruiting Guru

Okay, “recruiting guru” is not a position, at least not yet. The Cowboys obviously have a more than capable staff of recruiting directors, coordinators, etc. but if you read Pete Thamel’s great piece on how Kirby Smart revamped Georgia’s recruiting program, you can see that improvements can always be made and it’s money well spent.

While adding a 60-plus support staff members has little to do with an actual assistant spot, you can still search out the next Marcus Arroyo-type that can set fire to the recruiting trail and add him as a position coach somewhere — or just make up a “recruiting guru” position — do it.

This is a position where I’d love to see someone brought in without ties to OSU who doesn’t do it the way we’ve always done it. Basically, the kind of guy that makes Mike Gundy a little bit nervous, which is what I always kind of thought about Arroyo. Sometimes, surrounding yourself with people who challenge your way of doing things can be healthy.

Is there any guarantee that this one doesn’t get hired away in two years? No. If he’s successful, he probably will. That’s what you want. Success. While consistency is important, sometimes a little fresh blood is more important. Get the best guys for the job and don’t be scared of them leaving.

No matter how hard Gundy tries, he will not be able to turn OSU’s football program into a commune with no exit signs. That’s not how college football works in the 21st Century. That’s not how college football worked for most of the 20th Century. And that’s now how you stay relevant or successful.