Gundy, Oklahoma State agree to restructured deal
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy have reached an agreement on a restructured contract, and he will remain the Cowboys’ coach, the school announced on Saturday.
The two sides had discussions Friday and Saturday about a new deal after the Oklahoma A&M regents, who oversee Oklahoma State, held a special meeting Friday morning to discuss Gundy’s employment and other football staff employment matters. The meeting did not end with any resolution Friday, but board chair Jimmy Harrel told local reporters, “We have a plan.”
“We are happy to announce that we have agreed on a new contract with the winningest coach in OSU history with terms that benefit Oklahoma State University, OSU student-athletes and Cowboy Football,” Oklahoma State said in a statement. “Details will be announced once the contract is signed.”
As part of the restructuring of Gundy’s contract, his $7.75 million annual salary will be reduced to be redistributed as part of revenue sharing with players, and his buyout will be reduced, sources told ESPN. Gundy would have been owed $25.3 million had he been fired without cause.
Sources said Gundy was already on board to give up part of his salary to help with revenue sharing but that the two sides differed initially on the amount of the salary reduction, leading to two days of uncertainty surrounding his future.
Sources told ESPN that Gundy had the support of school president Kayse Shrum and athletic director Chad Weiberg but that at least one regent was in favor of moving on from Gundy.
Gundy is Oklahoma State’s all-time winningest coach and has led his alma mater to a 169-88 record since being promoted to the role in 2004. Gundy guided the Cowboys to the Big 12 title in 2011, league runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023, and 18 consecutive bowl appearances before this season, when he recorded his worst record at 3-9 and went winless in conference play. Oklahoma State ended its season a week ago when it fell 52-0 at Colorado.
Gundy’s previous deal was a rolling five-year contract, which extends on Jan. 1 of each year he is employed by the school.
Gundy on Wednesday fired offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo, and he had started reaching out to potential replacements when the special board meeting was called for Friday morning. Part of the conversations during that meeting centered around Gundy’s hiring of assistant coaches and whether more oversight was needed in terms of contract structure, sources said.
In 2020, Gundy agreed to a $1 million salary cut, a shortened contract and a reduced buyout following a review of the program, which came after star running back Chuba Hubbard criticized the coach for wearing a T-shirt from One America News on social media. Mike Holder, then Oklahoma State’s athletic director, said Gundy offered all the contract changes and praised the coach for doing so.
Gundy, an Oklahoma State star quarterback who became the Big Eight’s career passing leader, is a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year with the school. His teams have had 10 AP top-20 finishes, rising as high as No. 3 in 2011, when Oklahoma State won the Fiesta Bowl. Prior to this year’s dip, the Cowboys had won 10 or more games in eight of their previous 14 seasons.
He also made several controversial statements during his tenure, including last month, when in responding to criticism of the team, he said, “Most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills.” Gundy later apologized for his comments.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Jake Trotter, Max Olson and Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
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David Purdum
Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer, after screenshots of past references to “sports gambling” on his Venmo account surfaced online Monday, denied ever being involved with gambling, saying Tuesday it was instead “inside jokes” with his friends.
School officials became aware of the screenshots late Monday night and are looking into the situation, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer posted to X on Tuesday. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.
“I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling.”
Screenshots posted online Monday night showed Mateer allegedly twice included “sports gambling” in memos for transactions on Nov. 20, 2022, while he was a freshman at Washington State. Both transactions were allegedly made to a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, believed to be a teammate at Washington State at the time.
College athletes are prohibited from betting on any sport offered by the NCAA, with penalties up to loss of eligibility.
OU Athletics issued a statement saying it “takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situation of concern.” The school said its “unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.”
Mateer, the No. 1 overall player in ESPN’s portal rankings, transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State this offseason. He passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, his third with the Cougars.
Oklahoma is ranked 18th in the first Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Sooners open their season at home Aug. 30 against Illinois State.
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Eli Lederman
Oklahoma secured its most significant commitment yet in the 2026 recruiting cycle on Tuesday when defensive end Jake Kreul, No. 22 in the 2026 ESPN 300, announced his pledge to the Sooners on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Kreul, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound edge rusher from Florida’s IMG Academy, entered August as the lone remaining uncommitted among the 23 five-star prospects in ESPN’s prospect rankings for the 2026 cycle. He chose Oklahoma over Ole Miss and Texas following a slate of official visits this spring that included trips to all three finalists as well as Colorado, Florida and Ohio State.
Kreul lands with the Sooners as the 16th overall pledge and only the third ESPN 300 commit in Oklahoma coach Brent Venables’ 2026 recruiting class following the program’s 6-7 finish to the 2024 season. Kreul now stands as the top-ranked member of Venables’ latest class alongside fellow top-300 pledges in No. 5 dual-threat quarterback Bowe Bentley (No. 168 overall) and wide receiver Daniel Odom (No. 258). If Kreul ultimately signs later this year, it will represent Oklahoma’s fourth consecutive cycle with at least one five-star addition dating to the 2023 class.
Kruel took part in the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game earlier this year and will enter his senior season at IMG Academy this fall. One of the most polished defensive prospects in the 2026 class, he closed his junior campaign in 2025 with 39 tackles, 11 hurries and 6 sacks.
Oklahoma joined the likes of Florida and Ole Miss among the first major programs to prominently enter the mix for Kreul’s commitment nearly two years ago. Kreul told ESPN last month that his relationships with Sooners defensive line assistants Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis, along with Venables’ background of nearly two decades as a defensive coordinator were driving factors in his heavy interest in Oklahoma.
“The opportunity to play for a defensive-minded head coach and one of the best minds in the sport in coach Venables is something you may not get at every school,” Kreul said. “That piece is something that’s been very present for me throughout in terms of building my relationship with Oklahoma.”
Kreul now stands as the seventh defender bound for Oklahoma in 2026 and a cornerstone member of the Sooners’ latest class. Along the defensive line, Oklahoma also holds pledges from three-star defensive tackle Brian Harris and defensive ends Matthew Nelson and Daniel Norman.
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has been suspended indefinitely, coach Dan Lanning announced Tuesday.
Dickey, a former five-star recruit, has played in 15 games in two years with the Ducks but has had only two catches for 14 yards.
Lanning did not specify the reason for Dickey’s suspension but said the team has two team rules: “Be respectful, be on time.”
“There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now,” Lanning said. “Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success, and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere. That might be here. That might be somewhere else.”
The Ducks were ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. The team was already thin at wide receiver with the loss of Evan Stewart, the Ducks’ top returner who injured his knee in the offseason and could miss the season.
Florida State transfer Malik Benson, senior Gary Bryant Jr. and redshirt juniors Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe are expected to help fill the void.
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