Will Mike Gundy’s Son, Gunnar, Be OSU’s Lone Incoming QB for 2021?

Last recruiting cycle, Oklahoma State made scholarship offers to 15 different quarterback recruits. The year before: eight. The year before that: five (when Spencer Sanders committed early.)

This cycle, that number sits at two, with dual-threat QB Preston Stone and pro-style QB Garrett Nussmeier the only two recruits to have garnered an OSU offer in this cycle to date. Stone has been committed to SMU since January and Nussmeier has long been considered a lock for LSU, barring some unforeseen change in circumstances.

OSU likely has other options it could consider outside the two offered recruits who likely are headed elsewhere. Those options range geographically from Texas to California to … Mike Gundy’s mansion in Stillwater, America.

Yes: the younger Gundy is coming. Gundy’s son, Gunnar, was previously a Class of 2020 recruit who plans to reclassify to 2021 — and he’s already stated his intentions to play QB at OSU.

Will he be the QB of the class for OSU this cycle? The lone QB of the class? It remains a possibility considering OSU’s lack of traction in the cycle overall and the lack of targets at the position currently on the board.

As The Oklahoman reported last winter, Gundy, who has already graduated high school, is sitting out the year from playing competitively. Right now he’s enrolled as a part-time student at OSU — and plans to continue that part-time duty this fall in an effort to delay his four-year athletic clock. Then, in the spring of 2021, he plans to enroll as a full-time student and walk on to the football team. Meantime, he’s training and prepping for the following season.

“I’m waiting to start my four-year clock so I can hopefully get to play there and finish my career there,” Gunnar told The Oklahoman.

Whether Gunnar is the only QB of the class or not, he’s certainly in line to be the most intriguing recruit — walk-on or scholarship — of the cycle given his lineage. But he’s not just a household name with ties to the coach. He’s a 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect who held an offer from Eastern Michigan and interest from other schools throughout his high school career.

He was also a stat monster on really good teams, a workout and film junkie, one of the hardest workers on his team. As a senior at Stillwater, he completed 224 of 300 passes for 3,481 yards, 47 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Gundy was not ranked as a high school recruit by recruiting services, but the work ethic, the lineage, the situation could all play in his favor as he preps for 2021. Of course, he’ll likely compete with whoever is the scholarship quarterback of the class for a spot on the depth chart. But that’s assuming OSU does take a quarterback in this class on scholarship.

The last time OSU had a recruiting class without a scholarship QB was 2013, so the odds aren’t high. But even then, will that scholarship QB be able to edge out the younger Gundy? It’s a fascinating dynamic that could play out down the line that could shape the look of the 2021 class.