Three Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s Coaching Search as It Enters the Home Stretch

We’re nearing 60 days on Oklahoma State’s coaching search.

It’s felt like an eternity, but with the college football regular season having just two weekends left, OSU’s search feels like it’s finally nearing its end.

Here are three thoughts I have entering the home stretch.

1. Anyone from the Highly Discussed Group Would Be a Good Hire

Just about anywhere you listen or read has had some combination of the same group of potential OSU candidates for some time now: Alex Golesh, Eric Morris, Collin Klein and Zac Robinson (and more recently Kane Wommack).

You could make a case for any of those guys based on what you think is important.

Golesh turned around a USF program that went a combined 4-29 in the three seasons before his hiring. He beat Florida in The Swamp.

Morris has UNT at 9-1 (the Mean Green’s first nine-win season since 2018) and seems to have elite quarterback evaluating skills.

Klein is conducting an offense for the No. 3 team in the country, a team that is unbeaten in the SEC despite the league’s growing parity. Plus, he has a deep understanding of the Big 12.

Robinson has a deep understanding of OSU and Stillwater and comes from a Sean McVay coaching tree that has taken over the NFL.

Just like I thought last month, I think any one of those guys would be great hires.

Does that mean the hire will work out? Well, no. Luke Fickell seemed like a great hire for Wisconsin, and that hasn’t gone smoothly (the Badgers are 16-20 under Fickell). Just like Curt Cignetti was kind of a meh hire when Indiana made it. But, I think any of those guys would be a hire fans celebrate.

2. How Many Turns Does the Carousel Have?

With all that being said, the coaching carousel has been rotating at maximum power this season, and while OSU’s search may be nearing its end, it feels like other searches are just getting ready to start.

Jobs at OSU, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Arkansas, UCLA and Stanford are already open. Initial reports in those other searches would suggest that OSU isn’t exactly swimming in the same candidate pools as most of those other openings, with Arkansas feeling like the Cowboys’ most direct competition in the market at this point.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is a massive domino in the cycle, though. Ole Miss is reportedly seeking some clarity on Kiffin’s situation. Kiffin’s family has reportedly taken visits to Gainesville (Florida) and Baton Rouge (LSU) (college football and flight trackers are the new peanut butter and jelly).

Kiffin’s decision will impact the carousel as a whole. If he picks Ole Miss or LSU, does Florida perhaps get more serious about Golesh? If he chooses Florida or LSU, what does Ole Miss’ search look like?

Outside of Kiffin’s looming commitment, the heat seems very much turned up on Dave Aranda at Baylor. Baylor has some stuff to work out with AD Mack Rhodes taking a leave of absence. But if that job does come open, it would likely turn into OSU’s biggest competition in the market. In that case, how much would OSU’s head start on its search help?

So, while it does look like the Cowboys’ search is nearing its end, there are still situations looming that could force another pivot or two.

3. Weiberg Has Earned Hiring Confidence

Coaching searches weren’t meant to last three months.

With everyone having somewhat of an agreement on OSU’s targets for a while now, it’s led to some perhaps overanalyzing the results of USF’s games, North Texas’ games and even the efficiency of the Atlanta Falcons’ offense.

It’s part of it, but finding a way to compare what Bijan Robinson did against the Carolina Panthers to how Drew Mestemaker played against UAB is a sign the search needs to wrap up.

I write all that to say that the OSU fanbase should have some trust Weiberg will make the right decision. Why? Because he has done really well on the hiring front thus far.

In her fourth season, Jacie Hoyt had the Cowgirl basketball program in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time since 2014. The Cowgirls have made the NCAA Tournament in two of her first three seasons and look to be a regular in that tournament moving forward.

David Taylor has instantly refreshed the OSU wrestling program, leading the Cowboys to their highest finish at NCAAs since 2021 in his first season. Taylor is mopping up on the recruiting trail, with the future of OSU wrestling looking brighter and brighter by the week since his hiring.

It’s still early in Steve Lutz’s second season, but returns are good. The Cowboys play an exciting brand of basketball, and this particular group looks like the best team OSU has had since at least the Cade Cunningham year.

So something is going right in Weiberg’s searches. Everyone is allowed preferences and opinions, but OSU fans should have some comfort in Weiberg making the right call with all the information at his disposal.