AD: Gundy exit in best interest of OSU long-term

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Hours aft Oklahoma State announced the firing of longtime shot manager Mike Gundy amid a 1-2 start, diversion manager Chad Weiberg emphasized the determination was made with the "best involvement of moving the programme guardant successful the agelong term."

Gundy, the second-longest-tenured FBS caput coach, was successful his 21st play starring the Cowboys, trailing lone Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa manager since 1999. His exit, announced precocious Tuesday morning, comes 4 days aft the Cowboys mislaid 19-12 to Tulsa past Friday.

"I expected the results of this play to beryllium antithetic than they've been truthful far," Weiberg told reporters Tuesday. "That goes backmost to the anticipation level that Coach Gundy has acceptable for this program.

"We person higher expectations than that, truthful erstwhile it doesn't look that that was not going to beryllium met, it felt similar for the bully of the programme it was clip to marque this determination truthful that we could commencement the process of getting the programme wherever we privation it to be."

Weiberg confirmed that helium informed Gundy of his firing successful a gathering Tuesday morning. Acknowledging Gundy's agelong past successful Stillwater, Weiberg spoke to the value of ensuring his exit was handled "right," and said that contributed to the timing of the decision.

Gundy, 58, was not offered the accidental to stay successful his relation done the extremity of the season, according to Weiberg, who explained that Gundy is acceptable to person the afloat sum of the $15 cardinal buyout outlined successful his contract, which was acceptable to tally done the 2028 season.

First-year Oklahoma State violative coordinator Doug Meacham volition service arsenic the Cowboys' interim caput coach, opening with this Saturday's location crippled against Baylor. Longtime spot and conditioning manager Rob Glass is expected to oversee administrative duties wrong the program.

Gundy, the winningest manager successful programme history, returned to Oklahoma State this autumn nether a restructured declaration pursuing a 3-9 decorativeness successful 2024, the program's archetypal losing play since Gundy's archetypal successful complaint successful 2005. The nonaccomplishment to Tulsa came lone 2 weeks aft the Cowboys' 69-3 nonaccomplishment astatine Oregon connected Sept. 6 and marked Oklahoma State's 11th consecutive decision against FBS opposition. All told, Gundy dropped 11 of his past 12 games successful charge.

In outlining the determination to determination connected from Gundy with 9 games remaining, Weiberg pointed to those disappointing results, which came aft the schoolhouse poured "significant investments" into the programme pursuing the 2024 season. He besides looked ahead, citing the semipermanent wellness of Oklahoma State shot beyond 2025.

"I get that there's things close present successful the present and now, this week, today, tomorrow," Weiberg said. "But we besides person to beryllium looking astatine what's amended for the programme implicit the adjacent year, 2 years, 5 years."

While speculation swirled astir Gundy's occupation information this month, Weiberg's ain aboriginal with the schoolhouse has been mired successful uncertainty, with the 53-year-old diversion manager moving without a declaration since precocious June.

Weiberg confirmed Tuesday that helium volition pb the hunt for the school's adjacent shot coach. While a caller woody has not been formally completed, sources told ESPN that Weiberg is poised to motion a four-year declaration with a rise connected his existent yearly wage of $750,000.

Weiberg said the timing of Tuesday's determination volition let Oklahoma State to laic the groundwork for the program's aboriginal and its pursuit of a caller prosecute aboriginal this year, but declined to connection a definitive timeline.

After parting with a manager who astatine times grumbled successful assemblage football's NIL/revenue-share era, Weiberg emphasized the resources disposable astatine O...