Mike Gundy News Conference Recruiting and NIL Portion, Something New

STILLWATER – Recruiting has often come up at Mike Gundy news conferences during the bowl season and sometimes in the spring. There are a couple of news conferences scheduled each year, usually on the signing days in December and February to talk recruiting in particular, but I can never remember a middle of the season Gundy Monday news conference where extensive recruiting discussion broke out. Of course, Gundy can’t name specific recruits or even schools that his assistant coaches were at this weekend. We can and did this weekend.

Karl Mondon San Jose Mercury Bay Area News Group

Rattay saw Smith play well in a win on Saturday. Serra is unbeaten this season.

Tim Rattay - was in Northern California to see Maealiuaki Smith, QB at Junipero Serra H.S. that played Saturday.

Charley Dickey - was in Salt Lake City to see Semisi Tonga and Nuku Maf’i, offensive linemen play in the West vs. Highland game.

Tim Duffie - was in Dallas-Fort Worth at various schools and then saw Kobe Black at Waco Connally play Springtown in Waco.

Greg Richmond - was in Houston to visit Deer Park and DE Luke Webb (bye week) and then went to DFW to see DE Armstrong Nnodim of Mesquite Horn play Rockwall.

Kasey Dunn - was in Texas to check in on some recruits and watch others.

Bryan Nardo - was in Texas to see various recruits.

Dan Hammerscmidt - was in Texas to see various recruits.

John Wozniak - was in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to watch a trio of 2025 runningbacks that OSU has offered.

Jason McEndoo - was in Texas to watch various prospects.

Chris Williams Channel 9

Mike Gundy with his wife, Kristen, and running backs coach John Wozniak at Del City earlier this season to see Rodney Fields.

How these nine of 33 allowed recruiting days were used and how head coach Mike Gundy and Woznial used a recruiting day each earlier this season to watch Del City running back commitment Rodney Fields, and all of the future evaluation days through Nov. 26 are determined this way. Gundy was asked that question.

“Well, that’s Todd Bradford, our director of recruiting and his office. They help the coaches … Now the coaches are going to have input based on where they want to go, but the director of recruiting handles that so that we follow the rules and don’t cross over all the different contacts that you can or can’t have. It comes out of his office,” Gundy answered. 

“So, when we finished practice on Thursday our coaches left,” explained Gundy. “They scattered all over the place to go recruiting Friday in the schools or where ever and games. Then some on Saturday whether it’s a junior college or a high school game they can pick up on a Saturday. There’s not many high school games.”

It worked out well for Rattay and Dickey as they saw all three of there recruits play well. Smith has his best game of the season throwing for 321-yards and a pair of scoring tosses including a 70-yard touchdown pass to standout tight end Cole Harrison.

Dickey saw West and his two linemen prospects that will visit OSU officially the weekend of the Kansas game win big as West beat Highland 36-15. The score is a bit misleading as West led 36-0 after three quarters and Highland scored all 15 of their points in the fourth quarter. 

“We can go anywhere we want to go. We don’t go a long ways away,” Gundy said except for Rattay and Dickey. “If you want to jump in a plane and go to Nebraska and then fly home, we can do that. You only get so many visits at a particular school during a certain time of the year and then the head coach can only do it once, so there are a lot of rules.”

Speaking of those rules, here are the rules on visits and evaluations to see a certain recruit.

From the NCAA:

Of the seven in-person evaluations coaches can make per recruit, no more than three of them can be evaluations in which the coach is able to talk to the recruit and their family. Thankfully, it's up to the coach to keep track of these in-person evaluations; however, it can only benefit you to know what the rules are.

Here is the remainder of the recruiting calendar from the NCAA and for the Division I football bowl subdivision schools:

September 1 – November 26, 2023: Evaluation period - Thirty-three (42 for U.S. service academies) evaluation days during the fall evaluation period.

November 27  – 30, 2023: Dead period

December 1 – 16, 2023: Contact period

December 17, 2023: Quiet period

December 18, 2023 – January 11, 2024: Dead period

Except: January 3 – 7, 2024: Quiet period for two- and four-year college transfer prospective student-athletes who intend to enroll midyear.

Now, Gundy was also asked about the NIL and the Oklahoma State collective, Pokes with a Purpose. Gundyhas been quoted various places on social media, from folks that say they have been witness to Gundy talking down NIL and collectives. There is no doubt that Gundy is old school and he is not the most excited about change.

This is on the record and in public in a room full of media with microphones and cameras rolling. Reports with newspapers and websites taking notes. I would call this opinion as official as it gets.

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Gundy also put down an official opinion on NIL and Pokes with a Purpose.

“The NIL and the collective (Pokes with a Purpose) is very, very important,” Gundy stated. “Pokes with a Purpose and our administration has done a very good job getting information out there. It is becoming a part of college football and I believe it is here to stay. It is very important. It is something that is going to grow from here on out. Which direction? I don’t know, but it is very important. It is a part of what we do and Pokes with a Purpose has done a great job.”

Gundy was then asked if he and his staff talk to prospective recruits about the collective and NIL opportunities?

“We don’t here … (long pause) because it’s illegal. I don’t break  the rules,” Gundy chuckled. “Now,  I don’t know if others do. That is a good question.”

Okay, so was there talk about the bye week practices, quarterback going forward, and the opponent on Friday in Kansas State. Yes there was, but I’m not sure it was as entertaining as the discussion above.