UPDATED Cowboys Young Coaches Disappearing to Ohio State?

STILLWATER – All is fair in love, war, college recruiting, and college coach hiring. However, there are some ethics involved in all four of those situations. The problem is that it is purely up to the participants on what the ethics or the degree of ethics are that will be applied. Oklahoma State lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Ohio State. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day never made contact that we know of with Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, but that’s OK. Gundy knew that Knowles was being pursued. Texas Tech had offered $1.5 million to Knowles and several other schools were showing interest as well. Day pressed Knowles to sign before he left Little Rock, Ark. that day because he wanted it wrapped up. This was the second time that Day at Ohio State had hired away one of Gundy’s coordinators. He hired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich back in 2018 right after the win over Missouri in the Liberty Bowl.

Editor’s Note: The current count is two coaches that have left for Ohio State to go with Knowles. Graduate assistant and linebackers coach the past season Koy McFarland and defensive quality control coach Brent Zdebski are going to Ohio State. It appears that defensive graduate assistant Michael Hunter is  staying. There was also discussion that Cowboys full-time coaches were being pursued, but the Buckeyes announced hirings that would make that doubtful. 

Buckeyessports.com

Yurcich was hired to Ohio State by Ryan Day in 2018.

Day must love hiring Gundy’s people or Knowles is lonely in Columbus without some of the coaches he was with in Stillwater. Mike Gundy has seen a parade this week of young coaches in the Oklahoma State program come through his office and tell him they are leaving for Ohio State. Football Scoop doesn’t even have these transactions. How about that? Little ole Oklahoma State is now the breeding ground for young coaches heading to Ohio, the state commonly known as the cradle of coaches.

Graduate assistant Koy McFarland deserves a ton of credit as he has been the primary linebackers coach for the Cowboys. Knowles has often been identified as the linebackers coach but with his all- encompassing way of coaching the defense. McFarland has handled Malcolm Rodriguez, Devin Harper and company.

Pokes Report

Koy McFarland celebrates the Bedlam win.

“He's awesome to be around. He brings the energy every day. There are no down days for him. He's always hyped, and he's always running out there at practice,” Rodriguez said of McFarland. “He's always the first one. He's always trying to beat the guys to the next station or something like that. He just brings that energy. He's so smart. He's been around the system and the coaches and all that. And, his dad was a coach. So, it's natural for him, and it's like second nature.”

“I think Koy has done a great job,” defensive play caller and defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements said of McFarland at the Fiesta Bowl. “He's going to be a star in this profession. He's a bright young coach. He has a very bright mind when it comes to football. He was a coach's kid growing up. He's been around the game for a long, long time. I think he's going to have a bright future in this profession.”

His job reportedly at Ohio State is as a graduate assistant. Several Oklahoma State coaches have said they feel McFarland should be promoted to a position coach for his next stop.

Pokes Report

Brent Zdebski celebrated with his family at the Fiesta Bowl.

Now, defensive quality control coach Brent Zdebski has told Gundy that Ohio State, unsure if it was Jim Knowles or head coach Ryan Day called and offered him a quality control position with the Buckeyes. Again, a smart young coach being offered a lateral move for a position that is limited in salary. Camp money can vary, and those coaches are always hired for camps.

Finally, it is reported that graduate and former Indiana, Oklahoma State, and NFL defensive back Michael Hunter has been offered again, a graduate assistant job at Ohio State. Hunter has helped out in the secondary with coaches Tim Duffie and Dan Hammerschmidt. He is a promising full-time coaching candidate.

Interesting, that Oklahoma State has cornered the market on good young coaches on the defensive side of the ball. As we said, all’s fair. However, Ohio State is going pretty far here. They are hiring coaches in lateral positions. Some would say the ethics applied would label this over the top. Again, that is up to the participants. If Jim Knowles is doing the hiring, he did gain his highest paying job ever from working and learning at Oklahoma State. Do you feel good about hiring away all these young coaches? On the Oklahoma State side are any of these young coaches candidates for promotions, even a full-time position? 

Those are questions only the participants can answer.