Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy offered a bold prescription for college football’s next era.
Speaking at a recent press conference, he argued that one leader should bring the major programs together to address the sport’s biggest challenges.
“You’ve got to get one person in charge,” Gundy said. “They’ve got to get the four power people in one room. They all got to start talking about equality, how can we revenue share across the country, and follow the NFL pattern.” His remarks came in response to a question about solving the inconsistencies and inequity in the current system.
Gundy, who has coached Oklahoma State since 2005, framed players as part of the solution. He said athlete compensation must evolve into a sustainable model built on a collective structure, including revenue sharing, salary caps, and entry-level contracts.
His proposal builds off recent developments. The House v. NCAA settlement has ushered in revenue sharing after years of NIL-driven imbalance. Many programs now pay athletes directly, but Gundy made a clear case for higher-level coordination across conferences and power programs to standardize structure and reduce free-for-all competition.
Support for similar reforms is growing in coaching circles. Calls are rising for recognizing athletes as employees, implementing collective bargaining, and establishing an entry-level regulatory floor for high school recruits. Gundy’s pitch didn’t stop at theory. He drew a roadmap: one authority collaborating with power programs, driven by revenue equality and sustainable roster rules.
Gundy’s vision is clear. College football needs leadership beyond individual schools, a system that guarantees fairness and builds structure into financial and roster management. For a coach who has seen the sport rapidly shift firsthand, he believes radical change isn’t optional; it’s overdue.
