Mike Gundy said he is “excited” about Oklahoma State’s resurgence, speaking publicly for the first time since his September 2025 dismissal during his television debut on TNT Sports on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2026. The Cowboys have won their last several games, including a 42-28 win over UCF that pushed them to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
“I’m very, very thankful for Oklahoma State, and I’m excited about what they’re doing now,” Gundy said, according to ESPN. “I am sporting my orange here. I am excited about Oklahoma State right now, and what they’re doing.”
Gundy Breaks His Silence On Oklahoma State’s Resurgence
Gundy’s comments mark his first public remarks on the program since the school fired him after three games into the 2025 season, when Oklahoma State sat 1-2. The split came after the Cowboys had dropped 11 consecutive games against FBS opponents, a slide that ended his tenure.
He did not shy away from his history with the school on the broadcast. “We’ve been very fortunate to be there a long time. I came there in 1986 as a player.
Oklahoma State was good enough to give me a scholarship to play football, and I finished there with a degree. They were nice enough to make me a coach there, and then, eventually as a head coach,” Gundy said.
He added that his time in Stillwater produced lasting memories. “They are the fondest memories of my life. Great people, great organization, and Stillwater, Oklahoma is a beautiful place,” Gundy said.
“I have memories of a lifetime. And so I’m very, very thankful for Oklahoma State, and I’m excited about what they’re doing now.”
What’s Changed Under Eric Morris
Oklahoma State hired Eric Morris as head coach in the offseason after he spent time at North Texas, and the early results have been a sharp turnaround from the finish of the Gundy era. The Cowboys went 4-11 over their final 15 games under Gundy, dating back to the start of the 2024 season.
This season, Oklahoma State is ranked No. 18 and has already beaten UCF, a team that had won two of the previous three meetings between the programs. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns against the Knights, added a rushing touchdown and converted a two-point conversion. Oklahoma State outscored UCF 21-7 in the second half to put the game away.
Context On Gundy’s Two Decades In Stillwater
Gundy spent parts of five decades with Oklahoma State: four years as a player, 10 as an assistant and 20 as head coach. He finished with a 170-90 record and had only two losing seasons in his entire head coaching tenure, his first and his last, sandwiched around 18 consecutive winning seasons.
His Cowboys teams reached 18 bowl games and three Big 12 championship games, most recently in 2023. The program’s only Big 12 title came in 2011, when Oklahoma State finished 12-1 and No. 3 in the final AP Top 25, narrowly missing a spot in the BCS national championship game. This marks the first year since 1989 that Gundy has not held a coaching role in some capacity.
What’s Next
Oklahoma State will look to build on its 2-0 Big 12 start as the season continues, with the program’s No. 18 ranking putting it in position to chase further conference success under Morris. No specific date for the Cowboys’ next game was included in the available reporting.
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