STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is fed up with the distractions that come with this new era of college football.
There’s so much to keep in mind these days with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals, and Gundy has drawn the line.
“I told the players there are no more negotiations now,” Gundy said. “The portal is over. All negotiations are history. Now we play football. We just practice and play football.”
Gundy has turned his focus to the opening game at home on August 31 against South Dakota State.
“The business side of what we’re doing now is we have to have those conversations with them,” Gundy said. “Tell your agent to stop calling us and asking for more money. That’s non-negotiable now. Start doing it again in December.”
Gundy should be looking forward to football. Led by running back Ollie Gordon II, the Cowboys start the season ranked 17th in the AP Top 25.
Gordon won the Doak Walker Award last season as the nation’s top running back and is the Big 12’s preseason best offensive player. He could have left, but he chose to stay and play for a team that has plenty of returning talent.
Oklahoma State is likely to be a contender for the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“You can tell the team is really hungry,” Gordon said on media day. “We have a lot of returning players and we can’t sit back and be complacent. I feel like we haven’t been complacent. We’ve all been training like we’ve never been here before and it’s been really great.”
