Gundy Asked About Future (December) but Gives Few Concrete Answers

STILLWATER – I’m with Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy when he says, “I’m only concerned with Friday. What can we do Friday to win the game?” You know how it is often said that a win in a bowl game can make things better in the offseason, momentum working toward the next season. This situation with the Cowboys having lost eight Big 12 games in a row after going 3-0 in the non conference, is magnified from a 7-5 or 8-4 regular season looking for momentum from a bowl. Yes, a win at Colorado would help a better attitude permeate through the West End Zone.

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Smith made a darn good impression on Saturday vs. Texas Tech.

The play of freshman quarterback Maealiuaki Smith helps. Smith played beyond his years in maturity and earned the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award. He was 26-of-36 passing for 326-yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Now, with one week away from the offseason, the Dec. 4 signing day for recruits, and then on in to the opening of the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 9 how does Smith’s showing impact all that. You already know the Cowboys are set to sign 2025 class quarterback Jett Niu, who was here this weekend on another unofficial visit. The talk was they were looking for a portal quarterback as well.

“All of that is up in the air until we see what happens on Dec. 9. I mean, the quarterback position, every position, that’s one thing we’ve talked about forever that I don’t want to waste anybody’s time on is that the uncertainty of what’s going on Dec. 9,” Gundy explained. “Then that’ll give you some direction on what we need to do from that point.”

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Kenyatta Wright (right) has a primary role in roster building.

That said, Gundy knows that his recruiting staff along with recruiting director Todd Bradford and his Director of Football Finance Kenyatta Wright have plans, lists, for every position and every scenario. That includes quarterback where the eldest statesman in Garret Rangel has always said he is staying around and plans to play here. Zane Flores is expected back. He has not college tape or game experience. So, will Oklahoma State add a portal quarterback?

“I don’t know that I can answer that accurately with any position. I fully expect after the portal that we’ll have all three of these guys with us,” Gundy said of Rangel, Flores, and Smith. “Now, I’ve been surprised before but I feel like they’ll still be in the organization. They’ve been committed to us, and we’ve been committed to them. I think that we’ve done a good job of treating all of them fair and equal, which in my opinion, which it doesn’t matter anymore, but I think that at some point that makes a difference with young men now with the free agency, the portal effect.”

Gundy was adament that to know the future, you have to anticipate what is going to happen. That goes back into the planning. Oklahoma State has covered that. I believe the Cowboys staff has a list of players across the country at every position that they have evaluated and will be ready to contact and offer should they go into the portal. Hey, were all adults, that has been going on at some schools, Miami, Texas A&M, Oregon, Ohio State, SMU, and others. Now, it is going on at even more. It should, this is the wild, wild west and the NCAA isn’t doing anything about it. With the 105 limit, with revenue sharing, the long list of walkon players is out. There will be mass portal hunting.  

“So that will be much different than it has been the last few years. So the portal adjusting, it’s been going for a month,” Gundy said to the media knowing he’s right. “I mean, behind the scenes, calls are being made. So in my opinion, the ones that jump in right away are the ones that already know where they’re going. They’ve already worked out a financial deal. They’re just going to sign on and they’re rolling. The ones that might not be so sure, have to be a little careful, from the standpoint, there’s so many out there, how do I know I can land on my feet, if I still want to play football and get my school paid for.”

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SMU invested heavily in the portal and made it work.

Risk and reward, for the players and for each of the schools. Deion Sanders made it work at Colorado. SMU is in the ACC Championship Game with a massive portal influence. Miami, Fla. may join them. Ohio State advertised they spent $20 million on assembling their roster and they look like they will be in the Big Ten Championship.

Can Oklahoma State get into that mix and come out ahead? Can the Cowboys pay their best players and keep them from going somewhere else?

“We’ve been very upfront with the brass, President Shrum on campus and then with the head guys here with Chad and them,” Gundy said of the process. “We’ve had conversations for six months. I’ve been in more meetings, administrative meetings, than I ever want to be in in my life for months and months and months and months, trying to figure all this out. There’s still some guess work involved, because she (federal judge Claudia Wilken) hasn’t mandated anything yet. Until she does — you guys are reading about it, you understand you’re talking about millions and millions and millions of dollars that can fluctuate based on what she decides and when she decides for it to go into effect. Makes a big difference.”

I’ve been told if the revenue sharing number is around $20 million as it is set for right now that football will have a budget of somewhere around $15 million. Give Mike Gundy and his staff that kind of budget after dealing with somewhere close to $4.7 million this current season, then I think they can put together a pretty good roster. 

It comes down to money again. That is what Division I college football is now, professional football and you have to have a competitive budget. It starts in December.