Mike Gundy, once a man of 40, now enters his third decade as Oklahoma State's head coach. At age 56, the former OSU quarterback has spent all but five years of his adult life in Cowboy colors.
Given that, it's no surprise Gundy has built a rare level of continuity among his staff. Nine of his 11 top assistants have been with the program at least five years, and Joe Bob Clements (co-DC/LBs), Tim Duffie (DPGC/CBs), Kasey Dunn (OC/WRs), Dan Hammerschmidt (S), and Jason McEndoo (TEs/FBs) have all spent at least a decade on Gundy's staff. Head strength coach Rob Glass rivals Gundy himself for longevity in Stillwater: after nine years at Oklahoma State and 10 at Florida, Glass returned to OSU alongside Gundy, and the pair now enter their 20th straight season together.
On Wednesday, The Oklahoman reported Oklahoma State has awarded new 2-year contracts with raises for all nine of Gundy's returning assistants -- except for Glass, who signed a new 5-year deal paying him $1.1 million a year.
The new deal allows Glass to extend his lead as the nation's highest-paid strength coach, a title he shared with Michigan's Ben Herbert in 2023, when both made $1 million. Herbert joined Jim Harbaugh with the Los Angeles Chargers.
On the field, every returning assistant received a raise of at least $50,000. Defensive line coach Paul Randolph, the one new assistant coach, signed a 2-year deal worth $475,000 per year, a sizable increase from the $350,000 Greg Richmond earned in 2023.
Overall, Oklahoma State will pay $14.85 million for Gundy and his senior staff, a 6 percent increase from 2023.
Gundy himself signed a rolling 5-year contract in 2022, which came with a $125,000 raise for 2024.
Oklahoma State enters a new era of the Big 12 where the Cowboys will have as good a shot as anyone to win the conference. The Cowboys reached the conference championship a year ago, and return seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman and the conference's top offensive player in running back Ollie Gordon II.