Mike Gundy has been one of the best coaches in Oklahoma State's history. Yet, Gundy finds himself among the first college football coaches fired in the 2025 cycle, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday.

Oklahoma State now joins Virginia Tech and UCLA as Power 4 programs searching for their next head coach. Before taking a look at the top candidates to be Oklahoma State's next coach, let's do a quick overview of how things deteriorated in Stillwater.

How did we get here with Gundy? Gundy was coming off a 3-9 season in 2024, the worst of his career.

This led to an offseason standoff with Oklahoma State before Gundy eventually agreed to take a $1 million pay cut. Oklahoma State started the season 1-2 with the latest loss coming against Tulsa, where the Cowboys were a double-digit favorite.

Gundy's buyout is $15 million, whether Oklahoma State fired the coach during the season or waited until the offseason, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. The coach's buyout amount did not drop until 2028, when the number would have become $10 million, likely factoring into Oklahoma State's abrupt decision to act sooner rather than later.

Safe to say that Mike Gundy’s feeling the hot seat?

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"I'm under contract, here, for I think 3½ years," Gundy said of his future on Monday, per ESPN's Eli Lederman.

"When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I've put my heart and soul into this, and I will continue to do that until at some point, if I say I don't want to do it or if somebody else says we don't want you to do it."

The Athletic's Ralph Russo reported on "The Audible" podcast that Gundy's tenure at Oklahoma State appeared to be coming to an end, but the question was when the program would move on from the legendary coach. College football fans now have that answer as Oklahoma State is in search of a new coach before the calendar hits October.

Here's a look at the top potential candidates Oklahoma State could explore to replace Gundy.

Oklahoma State could turn to a rival to find Gundy's replacement. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is among the top candidates for the Pokes, Russo and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported weeks before Gundy's firing.

After a 69-3 beatdown in Oregon, Mike Gundy’s seat at Oklahoma State is hotter than ever. Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys end up looking to their arch-rival if they make a coaching change. More on that and what else @ralphDrussoATH & I are hearing. pic.twitter.com/4jWvxSR9x2

"Gundy, who has a $15 million buyout, entered the season on a hot seat, and it has only gotten hotter," Feldman and Russo wrote on Sept. 12. "Who could follow him in Stillwater? Some inside Oklahoma think Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle could be a target. 

"...Arbuckle is becoming a hot commodity. His track record of producing prolific offenses has sparked a meteoric rise since he finished his playing career at West Texas A&M in 2017," Feldman and Russo added.

"He broke into coaching as a quality control assistant in 2018 at Houston Baptist, where he supplemented his income by driving for a food delivery app."

The coach has some familiarity with the Big 12 as Golesh was an assistant at Iowa State under Matt Campbell for four seasons (2016-19). Golesh's also includes stops at Tennessee, UCF, Illinois and Ohio State.

Oklahoma State could face competition from SEC programs for Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. The Green Wave coach has not shown an eagerness to leave New Orleans.

As a former player, Sumrall remains linked to Kentucky if the job were to open this offseason. It would also make sense if Sumrall was on Oklahoma State's short list. The challenge is that it will likely be the case for every Power 4 program that has a vacancy.

Heading into Week 5, Sumrall has a 35-10 career record as head coach at both Troy and Tulane.

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has ties to Oklahoma State, with the coach serving two stints as an assistant, most recently from 2011 to 2012. Monken would bring a plethora of experience to Stillwater.

Not only does Monken have NFL ties, but also has head coaching experience. Monken was the Southern Miss head coach from 2013 to 2015. The current Ravens offensive coordinator was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2015.

Monken also coached under Kirby Smart at Georgia for three seasons (2020-2022).

The Falcons offense is not exactly thriving to start the NFL season, but offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has the kind of resume that could put him in consideration at Oklahoma State. Robinson is a former Oklahoma State quarterback who also has experience playing in the NFL.

100 Memorable Plays from Wins of the Mike Gundy Era

#8- 2009 vs Georgia in Boone Pickens Stadium. A couple of minutes before the half and on a 2nd an 7, Zac Robinson throws a deep shot to Dez Bryant who is able to catch up to the throw and makes a diving catch in the end zone to… pic.twitter.com/fik4crpsTD

The Falcons assistant spent time learning under offensive mastermind Sean McVay with the Rams. Given his playing career at Oklahoma State, Robinson may be the candidate with the most ties to Stillwater.

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