Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has no interest in this being his final season in charge of the Cowboys, he told reporters in a news conference Monday afternoon.
“100 percent,” Gundy said when asked if he intended to remain at Oklahoma State beyond the 2025 season.
Gundy addressed what he called “fair questions” over his future with the Cowboys on Monday, three days after Oklahoma State fell to 1-2 in a 19-12 defeat to Tulsa on Friday night, which marked the program’s first home loss to the Golden Hurricane since 1951. The Cowboys have now dropped 11 of their past 12 games dating to the start of the 2024 season with 11 consecutive defeats against FBS opponents, the longest such streak among Power 4 programs nationally.
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Speaking after the game, Gundy praised the home crowd of 48,842 for its support and emphasized his commitment to improving his team moving forward. On the 17th anniversary of his infamous “I’m a man, I’m 40” rant, Gundy reiterated that sentiment Monday ahead of a Week 5 visit from Baylor (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 2) to open Big 12 play on Saturday.
“I’m under contract, here, for I think 3½ years,” Gundy said. “When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I’ve put my heart and soul into this and I will continue to do that until at some point, if I say I don’t want to do it or if somebody else says we don’t want you to do it.”
Oklahoma State added more than 60 new players prior to the 2024 season following a 3-9 finish and an 0-9 run through conference play a year ago. Two weeks after suffering a 69-3 loss at Oregon on Sept. 6, the Cowboys gave up 11 plays of 15-plus yards, made just three trips to the red zone and were outgained 424-403 against Tulsa only six days after the Golden Hurricane’s 19-point loss to Navy in Week 3.
Gundy said Monday that he believes the mistakes that have plagued Oklahoma State over the first month of the season are “fixable,” adding that his “demeanor” and “daily operation” within the program remains unchanged despite heightened noise around his job security this fall.
“It’s about the team and about the organization,” said Gundy, now in his 21st season leading the Cowboys. “That’s the way I see it. It’ll always be that way. But I love what I do. I have the exact same amount of energy that I’ve had from Day 1 doing this.”
Speculation surrounding Gundy’s position is bubbling as similar questions hover over the future of Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg, who has been working without a contract since June.
Gundy will be owed $15 million by the university if the school moves to fire the 58-year-old coach without cause prior to the end of the 2025 season. As the Cowboys prepare to host Baylor on Saturday, Gundy made his public feelings about his future with the program clear.
“I’ll get people [with] text messages saying, ‘Man, you’ve done this all this time. You don’t need this. You don’t need that. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?'” Gundy said. “It is still fun for me.”
