Oklahoma State HC Mike Gundy issues stern statement while talking about NIL negotiations: “Tell your agent to quit calling”

Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Mike Gundy is shifting his full attention to football and the upcoming season opener against South Dakota State on Aug. 31. After Thursday's practice, Gundy made it clear that discussions about NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals are off the table.

According to Pete Nakos from On3, NIL funds, which previously targeted high school recruits, are now focusing on keeping top talent on the roster, with some programs reportedly spending up to $10 million annually.

Gundy had a strong message during his media interaction:

"There's no negotiating now, portal's over," Gundy told reporters. "All the negotiation is history, now we're playing football. Just coaching and playing football. You know, the business side of what we do now is we have to have those conversations with (the players).”

According to the coach, any further discussions about NIL contracts would be postponed until after the season.

“Tell your agent to quit calling us & asking for more money. It's non-negotiable now,” Gundy said. “It’ll start again in December… now we're able to direct ourselves just at football, and that part is fine.”

Oklahoma State had some worries this offseason about losing their star running back, Ollie Gordon II, to other opportunities. But good news—Gordon is staying put! He's ready to make a strong comeback as the reigning Doak Walker Award winner.

Mike Gundy sticking to his tried-and-true methods

Head coach Mike Gundy walks on the field during an Oklahoma State football practice - Source: Imagn

When the transfer portal opened, OSU wasn’t exactly topping the rankings for snagging high-profile recruits. The same goes for NIL deals—no big headlines there either. Even when Mike Gundy, who has been at the helm of Oklahoma State football for two decades, had the chance to expand his coaching staff, he brought in just one new face: special teams coach Sean Snyder.

“I think that we have to be a little careful to just all a sudden say that we want to hire 28 new coaches to coach football,” Gundy said [H/t Pistols Firiing]. “Specifically, to be quite honest with you, at Oklahoma State, we’ve been pretty good at what we’re doing, so I’m not sure we need to change a lot of things.”

Gundy’s strategy is to watch how other coaches navigate the new rules before making any big moves.

“We have a good idea what we’re gonna do, which just means we’re not gonna change very much,” he added.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Gundy remains optimistic about player development and tackling, but the Cowboys still face the challenge of overcoming their past defensive struggles.

Alan Bowman has been named the starting quarterback, with younger QBs Garret Rangel and Zane Flores also getting focused attention for their development.