What Does the Hiring of Sean Snyder Mean for Oklahoma State Football?
STILLWATER – The hiring of Sean Snyder signals several things to me. First, I believe Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is taking advantage of the new unlimited on-the-field-coaching-rule. Gundy initially said he thought that his staff was well situated with coaches and that having too many voices out there was just as damaging and possibly more damaging that have too few voices coaching. The one exception - special teams. Gundy has helped coach that along with special teams analyst Joseph Foteh and contributions from several of his assistant coaches. With the hiring of Snyder, special teams will have one voice, one master, and a very experienced one at that. Mike Gundy is showing he wants more emphasis on special teams as it could be a different maker in a potential diference making season for Oklahoma State.
Second, Gundy realizes that he has a special team this season returning a lot of talent and having a roster that is deep means you can use a lot of non starters on special teams. Snyder with the assistance of Foteh and some from the overall coaching staff can put the units toegether and can even apply some returns and coverages that match up to the Oklahoma State personnel. This is Mike Gundy putting an exclamation point on special teams for what could be a very special season.
Third, there are some questions particularly at the kicker position for the role of field goal and PAT. Snyder is a former punter, but in his 28-years in football coaching he has dealt with kickers period. Yes, the first 16-years were as a director of football operations at Kansas State, but Snyder was always weighing in and helping on special teams. As a punter at K-State, he was an All-American and a two-time All-Big Eight honoree. He is on the Kansas State Ring of Honor in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Fourth, Gundy continues to confirm his approval and recognition of what Bill Snyder did as a head coach at Kansas State. Gundy has done similar things at Oklahoma State. Both Gundy and Snyder took perennial also-ran football programs and turned them into absolute consistent winners. It is no accident that Gundy has former Bill Snyder player and coach Joe Bob Clements as his co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. former Bill Snyder offensive line coach Charlie Dickey as his offensive line coach, and now he adds Snyder’s own son to the mix coaching. Gundy likes those coaches as they work the way Mike Gundy and the rest of his staff work. It is a good mix.
Sean Snyder was not retained after the first year by the Chris Klieman staff at Kansas State or he chose to leave and coached at USC for two seasons and then Illinois for one before last season serving as the special assistant to the head coach and special teams analyst at Kansas.
Last season Kansas was 10th in the Big 12 in kickoffs (61.4 and 41.3 net) and 10th in punting (39.2 and 39.4 net). Opposing teams had negative return yardage against Kansas. The Jayhawks were 8th in field goals at 11-of-15 for 73 percent. They were 9th in PAT hitting 53-of-55 for 96.4 percent. Kickoff returns averaged 19.9-yards oer return and punt returns were special averaging a robust 19.8-yards per return.
Snyder was named Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2015 by Football Scoop and Phil Steele Football Magazine. He was named the Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2017 by ESPN and Phil Steele Football Magazine.
Here’s a look at the production by Snyder’s units those two seasons he was honored nationally.
| Year | Punting | Field Goals | PAT | KO Returns | Punt Returns |
| 2015 | 41.8 avg. | 12-of-14 | 44-of-44 | 33.5-ypr 4 TDs | 7.6-ypr TD |
| 2017 | 43.7 avg. | 21-of-26 | 49-of-49 | 34.2-ypr TD | 14.3-ypr TD |
The return men those two seasons were Morgan Burns in 2015 and D.J. Reed in 2017. Kansas State has had so many great returners and returns. Oklahoma State saw a bunch of those. Now, with Snyder on the staff maybe we’ll see some more.