Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is ready for football season to begin. And that means he can put the entire offseason behind him.
In some colorful comments during the Cowboys’ final week of preseason practice, Gundy recalled telling his players that the time for discussions about the transfer portal and NIL deals was over.
“I told the players there’s no more negotiating now,” Gundy told reporters in Stillwater. “The portal is over. All negotiations are history. Now we play football. We just practice and play football.”
Gundy acknowledged that the portal and NIL have become an inevitable part of college football. Players can freely enter the portal and negotiate with various schools for the best NIL deals for their services.
But he also stressed that the portal was closed at the end of April and will not reopen until after the regular season games have concluded in December – and that he will not conduct any negotiations in the meantime.
“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 again in December.”
Gundy’s Cowboys are ranked No. 17 in the preseason poll as they return a team led by the nation’s best runner in 2023, Ollie Gordon II. Oklahoma State opens the season on Aug. 31 against South Dakota State.
