Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told players to stop ‘asking for more money’ and NIL deals, focus on football

The time for negotiating NIL deals, at least in Stillwater, is over.

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy revealed last week that he told his players that they need to stop “asking for more money” and focus on the season.

With how both the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals have erupted in recent years, it’s not surprising to hear that Gundy wants to put that aside with the Cowboys’ season opener less than two weeks away. And, with NIL rules constantly changing throughout college sports, there’s a lot more for Gundy to keep up with. College football today looks vastly different than when it did when he was first hired at Oklahoma State in 2005.

Oklahoma State went 10-4 last season and reached the Big 12 title game, thanks largely to a breakout year from running back Ollie Gordon II, and are a contender for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff this season. Gordon ran for an FBS-high 1,732 yards and had 22 total touchdowns last season. He was arrested on DUI charges earlier this summer, but Gundy — who struggled when initially trying to defend Gordon at Big 12 media days — said he wouldn’t miss playing time because of it.