After 260 games as the head coach of Oklahoma State football, the school has fired Mike Gundy. Now, the school is on its first true search for a head coach since 2000, when Bob Simmons resigned after the season. Multiple names will be mentioned in connection with this power conference job, but these are the best candidates to replace Gundy.
Filling the shoes of Mike Gundy may be difficult. He has become synonymous with Oklahoma State. Gundy played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1986-89, before joining the coaching staff in 1990. He would be with the school through 1995 before stopping at Baylor and Maryland. After Simmons resigned following the 2000 season, Gundy and Les Miles were candidates for the Oklahoma State job. The school went with Miles, but brought in Gundy as the offensive coordinator.
After Miles left for the LSU job after the 2004 season, Oklahoma State immediately named Gundy as the new head coach. Now, the team needs its 23rd head coach in program history.
Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson
Zac Robinson was recruited by Mike Gundy out of Chatfield Senior High School in Littleton, Colorado. He committed to the Cowboys and redshirted the 2005 season. After a year as the backup quarterback, he started the next three seasons, ultimately being drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He bounced around the NFL before beginning his coaching career in 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay.
The former quarterback rose from assistant quarterbacks coach to pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022. In 2024, he joined a former McVay assistant, becoming the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.
While the Atlanta offense has struggled this year, and Robinson does not have head coaching experience, he has a few positives working in his favor. Like Gundy, he played quarterback for the school and is familiar with Stillwater. Oklahoma State has hired former players in the past, such as Floyd Gass and Jim Lookabaugh. Lookabaugh coached then Oklahoma A&M to the only undefeated season in school history, and was retroactively awarded the 1945 National Championship by the AFCA.
Robinson also comes from the McVay coaching tree, known for offensive success. Regardless, most of them have found success in the NFL ranks. The only former McVay assistant to find success at the college level is Jedd Fisch, who turned around the Arizona program and is now the head coach of Washington.
Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein
Collin Klein is the former Kansas State quarterback, winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and being a second-team All-American in his time in Manhattan, Kansas. After failing to catch on in both the NFL and CFL, Klein joined the coaching staff of Kansas State from 2014-15 as a graduate assistant. He then would spend one year as the quarterbacks coach at Northern Iowa before returning to his alma mater. The former quarterback would work his way up to becoming the offensive coordinator for the school.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Klein became the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. He took over an offense that was 44th in the nation in overall offense in 2023. They declined slightly in 2025, but were more efficient overall. Now, the Aggies are the 17th-ranked offense in the nation. Klein is regarded as one of the up-and-coming minds in the college ranks.
Further, unlike Robinson, Klein has spent almost his entire career playing and coaching in the Big 12. Even while at Texas A&M, he is recruiting in areas similar to the Big 12, being out of Texas. Regardless, recent years for Kansas State have not been up to expectations, and the team is currently 1-3. If there is the possibility that the job at Kansas State could open, Klein may opt to wait for that opportunity.
Texas State head coach GJ Kinne
The first head coach on the list is GJ Kinne, the current head coach of Texas State. The bulk of his college playing career was spent in Big 12 country, although not in the Big 12. He played at Tulsa in Oklahoma, becoming the 2010 C-USA Offensive Player of the year, and leading Tulsa to a top 25 ranking as a senior. In his coaching career, he has spent time at both the college and professional levels. Further, he has coached at power conference schools, group of five schools, and even FBS programs.
Kinne has been a winner in his time as a head coach and a solid recruiter. In his one year at Incarnate Word, he led the program to a 12-2 record and a loss in the playoff semi-final. At Texas State, he is 19-11, with two bowl victories. Further, the program is already 3-1 this year, and a threat to win the Sun Belt. If the Cowboys are looking for a head coach who knows the area and has proven he can win games, Kinne is the obvious choice.
James Madison head coach Bob Chesney
If the Cowboys are willing to find a coach from outside the Big 12 landscape, the best option could be Bob Chesney. The current JMU head coach is the epitome of rising through the coaching ranks from lower-level programs. After finishing his playing career at Dickinson, Chesney started as a graduate assistant at Norwich, a Division III program. He would be an assistant at three other Division III schools before landing his first head coaching job at Salve Regina, another Division III program.
There, Cheseny led them to a 23-9 record over three years and a conference title game appearance. This led to him moving up to Division II with Assumption. The coach went 44-16 in his time at Assumption, winning two conference titles and making the playoffs three times in five years. Once again, he jumped up in level, taking over FCS Holy Cross. In six seasons, he went 44-21, won five conference titles, and made the playoffs four different times.
Chesney was then chosen to take over at James Madison after Curt Cignetti left for Indiana. Before his first game, Chesney saw 28 players leave the program, including 13 of the top players joining Cignetti at Indiana. Chesney kept winning. He went 9-4 his first year, restocked the program, and is 2-1 this season. The former Division III player has shown himself to be a winner. In his first three head coaching jobs, he took a team that had losing records and turned them into winning programs. At JMU, he took a team that lost most of its starters, restocked, and kept winning.
If Oklahoma State wants a quick turnaround, with a coach that can bring in quality talent, Chesney is a wise choice.
