Stillwater Head Coach Tucker Barnard Doesn’t Get It either, Gundy Is a D1 Prospect

STILLWATER – Senior football season started for Gage Gundy on Friday night as Stillwater hosted perennial Arkansas State Champion or at least contender Greenwood. The Pioneers scored a momentum building 41-27 win.  The second and final Gundy son to play quarterback at SHS competed 10-of-14 passes for 224-yards with a 38-yard touchdown to Heston Thompson and no interceptions. Gundy had two rushing touchdowns and his first half passing was flawless as he was six-for-six for 144-yards.

Even though Gundy has shown himself to be one of the top quarterbacks and athletes in Oklahoma high school football and continued that last night, he has just one recruiting offer (Northern Iowa). He is not on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 football prospects for the class of 2023. He didn’t make The Tulsa World’s list of top players and quarterbacks.

I’m trying to figure out if the sports media has gone blind and if college football recruiters are just giving up and thinking that Gage Gundy will go nowhere but Oklahoma State. Hey people! The Cowboys have a big-time quarterback commitment in their class in Zane Flores and with Spencer Sanders possibly coming back for a COVID year of eligibility the QB room could be pretty full in the West End Zone of Boone Pickens Stadium.

Pokes Report

Gundy in seven-v-seven this summer.

A two-sport athlete and a dual-threat quarterback for the Pioneers, Gage threw for 1,530 yards and 19 touchdowns, while rushing for 476 yards and eight touchdowns.

What am I missing here? His head coach at Stillwater, Tucker Barnard is wondering the same thing.

“It is really frustrating, and I’m sure it is more frustrating for Gage than it is for me,” Barnard said the other day on my radio show. “What we’re dealing with is people have the idea that they are not going to get him away from Oklahoma State. You know if he is good enough, he should be recognized for that.”

Twitter @GageGundy)

Gundy was the protector in the batting order for Jackson Holliday.

That covers college football coaches and recruiters, but the media? I think there is a Mike Gundy factor there. I think the media isn’t going to give Gundy’s kid a fair shake. In baseball, Gage was really impressive this spring. Pro Scouts in every game to see overall No. 1 MLB Draft choice Jackson Holliday became enamored with Gundy too. He had a .453 batting average with 62 hits, 52 RBI. He was second only to Holliday with 14 home runs, and he also had 16 doubles.

“He can do a lot of things. He is an amazing athlete,” added Barnard. “He looks like a prototypical linebacker or a tight end. I told that to Coach (Mike) Gundy. To me he is a no brainer offer because if somebody didn’t like him at quarterback or he didn’t win the job at quarterback, then he can play tight end. If he played Mike linebacker for the Stillwater Pioneers, then he might be the best one in the state. He is an incredible athlete. I think people will wake up at some point. He is 6-3 and 215-pounds. That was one of the things Gunnar didn’t have going for him. He does now after being in Coach (Rob) Glass’ program and he looks really good. Gage is a big physical specimen right now.”

In the meantime, I’m going to continue pursuing this story. I saw it happen with Gunnar as well. He is a Division I quarterback, no doubt about it. He improved his speed to 4.6 in the forty. Gage is bigger, not as fast, but athletic. I’m surprised he doesn’t have double digit scholarship offers as he starts his senior season. It’s amazing.