Mike Gundy Named Big 12 Coach of the Year, Several Cowboys Earn All-Big 12 Honors

Coaching is all about getting the most out of your team, and it’s hard to argue with Mike Gundy’s results this season.

Gundy on Wednesday was named the 2023 Chuck Neinas Big 12 Coach of the Year after leading the Cowboys from a 2-2 start to the Big 12 championship game.

It’s the third time Gundy has earned the honor, winning it in 2010 and then in 2021, the last time OSU made it to Arlington. He joins Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) as three-time winners. In 19 seasons, Gundy is 165-78, ranking him sixth among active FBS coaches in wins.

After the Cowboys’ loss to South Alabama and then Iowa State in consecutive weeks, some thought Gundy’s 17-year bowl streak was in danger. But the Cowboys settled in at QB with Alan Bowman and handed the rock to Ollie Gordon, and the rest was history. OSU finished the regular season 7-1 including a win over OU in the final Bedlam on the books and punched its ticket to Arlington with a historic comeback win over BYU on Saturday.

In the same press release, Ollie Gordon II was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team selection. Also on the first team was linebacker Nickolas Martin. Martin is the conference’s leading tackler and was an honorable mention for Defensive Player of the Year, which went to Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat.

On the all-conference second team were Cowboy wide receiver Brennan Presley, linebacker Collin Oliver and kicker Alex Hale.

Several Cowboys were named All-Big 12 honorable mention: Korie Black (DB), Alan Bowman (QB), Braden Cassity (FB), Dalton Cooper (OL), Kendal Daniels (DB), Cameron Epps (DRoy), Anthony Goodlow (DNoY, DLoY, DL), Alex Hale (STPoY), Josiah Johnson (ONoY, TE), Nickolas Martin (DPoY), Joe Michalski (OLoY, OL), Rashod Owens (WR), Brennan Presley (KR/PR) and Jake Springfield (OL).

2023 Big 12 Yearly Awards

Offensive Player of the Year: Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State, RB
Defensive Player of the Year: T’Vondre Sweat, Texas, DL
Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Adonai Mitchell, Texas, WR
Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Austin Booker, Kansas, DL
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Rocco Becht, Iowa State, QB
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas, LB and Ben Roberts, Texas Tech, LB
Special Teams Player of the Year: Austin McNamara, Texas Tech, P
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Byron Murphy II, Texas
Chuck Neinas Coach of the Year: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

All-Big 12 First Team

QB — Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
RB — Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
RB — Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
FB — Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
WR — Javon Baker, UCF
WR — Drake Stoops, Oklahoma
WR — Xavier Worthy, Texas
TE — Jared Wiley, TCU
TE — Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
OL — Dominick Puni, Kansas
OL — Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
OL — Patrick Paul, Houston
OL — Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
OL — Zach Frazier, West Virginia
PK — Bert Auburn, Texas
KR/PR — Xavier Worthy, Texas
DL — Tre’mon Morris-Brash, UCF
DL — Nelson Ceaser, Houston
DL — Austin Booker, Kansas
DL — Byron Murphy II, Texas
DL — T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
LB — Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
LB — Nickolas Martin, Oklahoma State
LB — Jaylan Ford, Texas
DB — Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State
DB — T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
DB — Cobee Bryant, Kansas
DB — Billy Bowman, Oklahoma
DB — Beanie Bishop Jr., West Virginia
P — Austin McNamara, Texas Tech

All-Big 12 Second Team

QB — Will Howard, Kansas State
RB — Devin Neal, Kansas
RB — Jonathan Brooks, Texas
FB — Stevo Klotz, Iowa State
WR — Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
WR — Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State
WR — Adonai Mitchell, Texas
TE — Kole Taylor, West Virginia
OL — Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
OL — Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
OL — Andrew Raym, Oklahoma
OL — Brandon Coleman, TCU
OL — Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
PK — Alex Hale, Oklahoma State
KR/PR — Matthew Golden, Houston
DL — Tyler Batty, BYU
DL — Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
DL — Jamaree Caldwell, Houston
DL — Khalid Duke, Kansas State
DL — Ethan Downs, Oklahoma
LB — Jason Johnson, UCF
LB — Austin Moore, Kansas State
LB — Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
DB — Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas
DB — Kobe Savage, Kansas State
DB — Josh Newton, TCU
DB — Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech
DB — Jahdae Barron, Texas
P — Ryan Rehkow, BYU