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STILLWATER — A recent trend in college football has been to hire general managers to oversee programs, a pattern that mirrors the NFL model.
It’s occurred at schools like Oklahoma, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Texas in past months as schools try to expand resources to help with scouting and roster management.
Oklahoma State has a head coach who oversees everything and is working “more now than I have ever in my career — more hours, more time.”
“We don’t have a general manager. I feel like I’m the general manager. But we have a business, and (director of football business) Kenyatta (Wright’s) gonna have to build a staff. (Recruiting coordinator Todd Bradford) has — we used to call it a recruiting staff, now they’re a scouting department. Because they’ve got to scout everybody in the country during the season. They’ve gotta look at all these other schools. It has changed,” Mike Gundy said.
“I know most schools are going to a general manager, which is basically taking over for the head coach and doing, I don’t know, 75% of what he does. I’m not comfortable with that. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, I just feel like that’s my job. That’s what I do. But Kenyatta’s staff is gonna have to build. Todd’s staff is gonna have to grow. Then the coaches are gonna have to do both, just like always.”
There is a plan in place at OSU to make those changes. It will be important to get personnel in place to help with scouting and contract negotiations.
When will those staff additions begin?
“Once we get through spring in May and June, we’re gonna have to start increasing these staffs. If we want to get out there and compete,” Gundy said. “Communication in recruiting is going through agents.
They speak languages I don’t speak. It’s different — contracts, years, value, things like that. So we’re gonna have to have enough people in place to communicate with these people. And a large portion of that doesn’t take place between 8 (a.m.) and 5 (p.m.). It takes place between 6 and 10 at night. So, that’s an issue you’re dealing with right now.”
Gundy said there’s too much work from a legal standpoint, communication with agents and dollar figures in college football’s current structure.
“And now with no limitations on recruiting, it just turns a full circle. Those two people (Wright and Bradford) are really important, and those jobs are gonna continue to grow,” he said.
For transfer portal players, Gundy and his staff will evaluate and target candidates. Wright will work with agents to discuss the business side of things.
No matter what happens, Gundy wants to continue to have a final say on what happens with his program.
“I’m just comfortable doing it. I mean, that’s my job. If I had a general manager that took over all that, well, I don’t know what I would do all day. So and again, I’m not saying it’s wrong. I just think that that’s my job. That’s what I did. So I haven’t gone that direction yet,” Gundy said.
No immediate plans for GM hire at OSU; Mike Gundy: 'I feel like I'm the general manager'
- Apr 1, 2025 Updated 6 hrs ago
Eric Bailey
Tulsa World Sports WriterSTILLWATER — A recent trend in college football has been to hire general managers to oversee programs, a pattern that mirrors the NFL model.
It’s occurred at schools like Oklahoma, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Texas in past months as schools try to expand resources to help with scouting and roster management.
Oklahoma State has a head coach who oversees everything and is working “more now than I have ever in my career — more hours, more time.”
“We don’t have a general manager. I feel like I’m the general manager. But we have a business, and (director of football business) Kenyatta (Wright’s) gonna have to build a staff. (Recruiting coordinator Todd Bradford) has — we used to call it a recruiting staff, now they’re a scouting department. Because they’ve got to scout everybody in the country during the season. They’ve gotta look at all these other schools. It has changed,” Mike Gundy said.
“I know most schools are going to a general manager, which is basically taking over for the head coach and doing, I don’t know, 75% of what he does. I’m not comfortable with that. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, I just feel like that’s my job. That’s what I do. But Kenyatta’s staff is gonna have to build. Todd’s staff is gonna have to grow. Then the coaches are gonna have to do both, just like always.”
There is a plan in place at OSU to make those changes. It will be important to get personnel in place to help with scouting and contract negotiations.
When will those staff additions begin?
“Once we get through spring in May and June, we’re gonna have to start increasing these staffs. If we want to get out there and compete,” Gundy said. “Communication in recruiting is going through agents.
They speak languages I don’t speak. It’s different — contracts, years, value, things like that. So we’re gonna have to have enough people in place to communicate with these people. And a large portion of that doesn’t take place between 8 (a.m.) and 5 (p.m.). It takes place between 6 and 10 at night. So, that’s an issue you’re dealing with right now.”
Gundy said there’s too much work from a legal standpoint, communication with agents and dollar figures in college football’s current structure.
“And now with no limitations on recruiting, it just turns a full circle. Those two people (Wright and Bradford) are really important, and those jobs are gonna continue to grow,” he said.
For transfer portal players, Gundy and his staff will evaluate and target candidates. Wright will work with agents to discuss the business side of things.
No matter what happens, Gundy wants to continue to have a final say on what happens with his program.
“I’m just comfortable doing it. I mean, that’s my job. If I had a general manager that took over all that, well, I don’t know what I would do all day. So and again, I’m not saying it’s wrong. I just think that that’s my job. That’s what I did. So I haven’t gone that direction yet,” Gundy said.
