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Bill Haisten: As OSU regents meet, Mike Gundy’s contract should be a hot topic

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Bill Haisten: As OSU regents meet, Mike Gundy’s contract should be a hot topic​

  • Dec 4, 2024 Updated 5 hrs ago
Bill Haisten

Bill Haisten

Tulsa World Sports Columnist & Writer

At 7:30 a.m. Friday in the Student Union, the Oklahoma State University regents meet for a discussion of football matters.

When it became known that this meeting was scheduled, I’m sure this was a common response: “Wow – is this the end of Mike Gundy era?”

If Oklahoma State had been determined to fire Gundy, I believe it would have happened as time expired on last week’s 52-0 loss at Colorado.

There will be no Friday firing because there is a 34-year Gundy-OSU relationship, and because he is the most important person in program history and elevated Cowboy football to unprecedented levels of success.

Oklahoma State isn’t ready to fire Mike Gundy in spite of his Nov. 4 statement about disgruntled fans – a commentary that is said to have infuriated university officials and, apparently, had an adverse effect on fund-raising.

“I’m hungrier than ever. I ain’t going out this way,” Gundy told the Tulsa World after OSU lost to Texas Tech on Nov. 23. “There’s a zero chance of that happening, unless they fire me.

“There’s one person who knows how to fix this, and that’s me. I can promise you that.”

The 2024 Cowboys were 3-9 overall and 0-9 in the Big 12. As OU and Texas had transferred to the SEC, Oklahoma State was expected to flex its muscle in the retooled Big 12.

Instead, for the first time in 31 years, an OSU football team was winless in conference play.

Gundy does seem to agree that an 0-9 result signals a need for sweeping personnel and procedural changes, and he will be given the chance to oversee those changes.

The first of those moves occurred on Wednesday, as offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo apparently were dismissed.

The university still hasn’t confirmed the firings, but Gundy for the first time seems destined to conduct an actual, simultaneous search for two coordinators.

There were new coordinators in 2013, but it had been known for months that staff member Glenn Spencer would be promoted to the defensive coordinator position. There was no search for Spencer. He simply moved to a bigger office.

The Spencer promotion coincided with Gundy’s 2013 hiring of Mike Yurcich as the offensive coordinator.

During the Friday meeting, presumably, there will be a review of staff changes that have occurred and a look at staff changes that might occur.

I suspect the most significant conversation topic will center on Gundy’s contract.

There is within Gundy’s contract a clause that addresses “conduct affecting university.” If university attorneys were to determine that Gundy violated that clause, OSU could consider a termination with cause and not have to pay a $29 million buyout.

The “conduct affecting university” clause: Participating in any conduct, committing any act, or becoming involved in any situation, occurrence, or activity that brings Employee into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, or ridicule or that reflects unfavorably on the reputation or the high moral or ethical standards of University.

There might be quite a legal battle if OSU were to apply that clause to a Gundy dismissal, but I don’t think we’ll see that.

If OSU has decided that Gundy did violate the clause, and if Gundy really does want to continue as the head coach, then the university suddenly has a leverage advantage.

OSU would have the ability to make adjustments on the coach’s contract. For example: There could be an adjustment on or an elimination of the five-year rollover in the contract.

The rollover means that there always are five years remaining on the contract. If fired without cause, Gundy would be owed 75% of the money he was due to make over that next five years.

Because it would send a negative message to recruits, it would be a counterproductive idea to cut Gundy’s compensation. He is scheduled to make $8 million during the 2025-26 school year. OSU officials made the decision to bump Gundy’s pay to such a high level, and OSU has to live with it for as he is the head football coach.

Oklahoma State is not an $8 million-a-year type of school. The Cowboy football head-coaching pay should have been capped at $5 million years ago because OSU does not have an 80,000-seat stadium and a massive fan base.
 
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