Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy Tuesday morning, and as with nearly every open coaching job in college football, Will Stein is on the short list.
Gundy coached 21 seasons in Stillwater, with 18 winning seasons in a row. Eight times he won double-digit games. including a 12-1, No. 3 finish in 2011, a 12-2 season and Fiesta Bowl win in 2021.
Gundy's been the man long after he turned 40, but the program has suffered in the NIL era, slumping to 3-9 in 2024 and 0-4 to start 2025, including a disastrous 69-3 thumping in Autzen Stadium.
Chris Hummer of CBS Sports surveyed industry sources Tuesday morning, naming eight possible coaches the OSU program will reach out to first:
Texas State coach GJ Kinne
Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein, former quarterback at Kansas State
Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen
Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, former OSU QB
Purdue coach Barry Odom, an Oklahoma native
North Texas coach Eric Morris
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein
It's a strong list with ties to the Big 12 and the southwest region, Kinne is 36 and Stein 35. Stein makes sense for inclusion as he's coached at Lake Travis High School, the University of Texas and UTSA, so he's got strong connections in the Cowboys' primary recruiting footprint.
He's also bright, personable, good with the media and the architect of three potent offenses while at Oregon. His Oregon offensive coordinator job pays him $1.75 million a year.
As a successful coordinator in a great program, Stein can afford to be choosy about jobs. His success with the Ducks guarantees his name will keep coming up but he's likely to be careful about his first head coaching move-- he's wise to look for a sound, situation with the backing (money and facilities) to make it work.
Already UCLA, Virginia Tech and OSU are looking for new coaches. Bill Oram, Oregonian beat writer for Oregon State, has called for the Beavers to fire Trent Bray.
Every job that opens increase the urgency and demand for the candidates on this list. Florida's Billy Napier and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell are off to slow starts (1-3 and 2-2) with difficult schedules ahead of them. If Florida moves on from Napier they'll pay top dollar for a splash hire, and that sets the carousel spinning again, even faster.
The Gators would even make a run at Dan Lanning, though it's not likely to be successful. They might have to settle for Dedd Fisch.