The post–Mike Gundy era in Stillwater may be taking shape quickly — and a leading candidate has reportedly emerged. According to Carson Cunningham of Pistols Firing, Oklahoma State is expected to make USF head coach Alex Golesh its top target to replace the longtime Cowboys head coach.
“With USF out of the CFP picture, I expect Oklahoma State to put the full-court press on Alex Golesh,” Cunningham wrote on X. “Multiple sources tell me he is Oklahoma State’s top candidate to replace Mike Gundy.”
Alex Golesh, currently in his third season at South Florida, has led one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football. After inheriting a program that had fallen to the bottom of the AAC, winning just five total games in the three seasons before he arrived, Golesh has gone, 7-6, 7-6 and now 7-3 so far this season. USF was considered a College Football Playoff contender, but the Bulls have lost two of three, including Saturday’s 34-31 defeat against Navy.
For Oklahoma State, the appeal is obvious. Golesh is young, innovative, and widely respected as a culture-builder. From 2016-2019 he was on the Iowa State staff and watched Matt Campbell re-build that program from the ground up. He was the running backs and tight ends coach before leaving for UCF in 2020 where he was the offensive coordinator. After one season in Orlando, he went to Tennessee for two seasons to become their offensive coordinator an then took the USF job in 2023.
While other names will continue to surface, early indications point to Golesh being the frontrunner — and Oklahoma State’s coaching search may move quickly as the program aims to get back on track and become relevant again in the Big 12.
