Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy says Big 12 'lucky' to have Deion Sanders

LAS VEGAS — For years, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been the most interesting personality among Big 12 coaches, but he finally has some true competition with the addition of Colorado and coach Deion Sanders.

And Gundy has enjoyed getting to know Sanders better, which began at spring meetings in April, when Gundy was the chairperson of the coaches’ meeting.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach’s career,” Gundy said on Tuesday during Big 12 football media days at Allegiant Stadium. “I know a lot more about him as a player than as a coach, because he’s not coached for a long time at this level.

“It was very enjoyable being in a room with him and getting his contribution to a lot of the subjects we were talking about. And I think we’re lucky that he’s with us, because he brings more notoriety and viewers to the Big 12 Conference. We want people to watch our teams play, and it’ll be fun to have him in our league. I can only imagine what his competitive level is, so it’ll be fun to have him in the league.”

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Mike Gundy on Ollie Gordon II

Gundy spoke early Tuesday about his decision not to suspend running back Ollie Gordon II following his late June arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, but as he took the big stage at Big 12 Media Days, the topic remained a focus of discussion.

Gundy was asked how Gordon has handled the situation in the 10 days since his arrest.

“Yesterday we had another hour-long conversation and it was really the first time that he’s smiled,” Gundy said. “I think it affected him like it would most people. We brought him here today so you guys could ask him that question. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to bring him here.

“The other thing I shared with Ollie yesterday… I’ve already made the decisions that I think are best for you and this team, and you need to make the decisions and the comments that you think are best for yourself and the team. And after today, it’s over with.”

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Improving defense remains critical

A year ago at this time, OSU had a lot of excitement about its defense, but also, a lot of uncertainty with a new defensive coordinator and few returning starters.

This year, the Cowboys have more reason to believe they can improve on last season’s statistically poor performance.

“We’ve got a very athletic defense in my opinion,” Gundy said. “We can run and get to the ball. We’ve made a few adjustments scheme-wise. Not a lot.

“I think our players will have a better feel for our system, and will allow us to play faster and get to the ball. We need to tackle better, and we got out of place on some play-action passing. If we can eliminate those two things and minimize that, we’ll be a better defense.”

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Alan Bowman, noted old guy

Gundy joked that his seventh-year senior quarterback Alan Bowman has played in nearly every stadium in the country, but will get to play in a couple new ones this year, at BYU and Colorado.

Yet it’s the 24-year-old Bowman’s maturity that Gundy sees as one of the quarterback’s most important traits.

“Alan has done a really good job of adapting to our culture and buying into Oklahoma State University,” Gundy said. “He’s very mature. He’s engaged to be married. He already has two degrees.

“He has a good feel for us and our system. He’s been around a long time. I think the experience he brings to our team, the respect and the players' belief in him at this point benefit us the most at this time.”

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OSU roster updates for newcomers

The Cowboys released their updated roster for the fall, which had few surprises.

The update included the incoming freshmen from the 2024 signing class who were not on campus, the three transfers who arrived in early June, and the latest class of walk-on additions.

Here are a few of the most interesting updates:

• The trio of transfers were listed as expected, with receivers Da’Wain Lofton from Virginia Tech and Gavin Freeman from OU, as well as running back Trent Howland from Indiana, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds.

• A few of the new high school players came in having already added significant weight based on what they were listed at in high school. Offensive lineman Nuku Mafi has added 25 pounds, now listed at 320. Defensive lineman Luke Webb added 15 pounds, now at 290. And 6-foot-4 cornerback Jacobi Oliphant comes in at 195, which is 20 pounds heavier than his high school weight.

• The walk-on class included a quarterback, with Garret Wilson from Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond, as well as a pair of twin offensive linemen in Aiden and Ashton Issacs from Cincinnati. Ashton is the bigger of the two at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds. And the group also includes an OU transfer, Reed DeQuaise, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Carl Albert High School.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU coach Mike Gundy excited for Deion Sanders' Big 12 football debut