Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is fed up with the distractions caused by the new aspects of college football.
With the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness deals causing issues, Gundy has set clear boundaries.
“I told the players there’s no negotiating now,” he said. “The transfer portal is closed. All negotiations are done. Now it’s just about coaching and playing football.”
Gundy is focusing on the August 31 opener at home against South Dakota State.
“The business side of things is over for now,” he said. “Tell your agent to stop calling us and asking for more money. It’s non-negotiable. We’ll deal with that again in December.”
Gundy has reason to be excited about the season. Led by running back Ollie Gordon II, the Cowboys start the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25.
Gordon won the Doak Walker Award last season as the best running back and is the Big 12’s preseason offensive player of the year. Despite opportunities to leave, he decided to stay and play with a team that has a lot of returning talent.
Oklahoma State is expected to compete for the Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“You can tell the team is really hungry,” Gordon said at media day. “We have many returners and we can’t be complacent. We haven’t shown any signs of complacency. We’ve all been practicing like we haven’t been here before, and it’s been great.”
