Who will be next Oklahoma State football coach? Who will replace Mike Gundy for Cowboys?
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The high school early signing period opens on Dec. 3, and Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg should want to make a new head coach official before then. This month, the intensity is only ramping up around the OSU football coaching search.
Interviews are ongoing, and lots of information — some accurate, some not so much — has been circulating about potential prospects for the OSU coaching job.
And if anything has been learned about Weiberg from his three previous coaching hires, it’s his ability to keep information on his candidates quiet.
Here’s a look at some notes on possible candidates:
Zac Robinson, Atlanta Falcons OC
The former Oklahoma State quarterback has some strong grassroots support among a group of donors, but that has been the lone tentpole of his legitimacy as a candidate.
Robinson was among the first interviews for Weiberg in the search, doing so via video call, sources told The Oklahoman. Having financial supporters in his corner can’t be ignored in the current college football climate, and some offshore sportsbooks will still tell you Robinson is the favorite for the job. But his candidacy has been inflated more by internet buzz than his actual potential to get the job.
Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens OC
This is a unique situation, considering it’s not a natural move for a 59-year-old coach who has established himself as a top-level offensive coordinator in the NFL.
On his current career track, he could be an NFL head coach in the not-so-distant future. But he and his family enjoyed their time in Oklahoma. And with his son, Travis, embarking on his coaching career as an offensive analyst at Purdue, the two could work together in Stillwater.
Alex Golesh, South Florida head coach
Golesh has been on the rise for years with successful stops at Iowa State, UCF and Tennessee before he got the USF job in 2023.
He took over a team that went 1-11 the year before, similarly to the current OSU situation, and won seven games in each of his first two years. Now, the Bulls are 6-2 and Golesh is one of the hottest coaches at the Group of Five level. His name has circulated in connection with multiple openings, including Arkansas and Florida, so the competition for his services could ramp up.
Eric Morris, UNT head coach
Morris has become known for identifying quarterback talent, from Cam Ward to John Mateer to his current success story at North Texas, Drew Mestamaker. His strong connections throughout Texas carry a lot of value, and he has proven he can build a program. He built Incarnate Word into a 10-win team and has North Texas at 8-1 in his third season there.
Collin Klein, Texas A&M OC
A Kansas State legend, Klein has long been identified by outsiders as his alma mater’s next head coach. But with his rise through the coaching ranks at K-State, coupled with his current success running the Texas A&M offense, his name might be the hottest among current coordinators in head coaching searches, including OSU.
Josh Henson, Purdue OC
Henson is another beloved OSU alum who has never been a head coach but has garnered some donor support. Unlike Robinson, Henson has a deep coaching résumé.
Henson has a decade’s worth of experience as a Power Four offensive coordinator between stops at Missouri, USC and now Purdue. He has been part of ground-floor program rebuilds and has seen what it takes to compete in the NIL marketplace.
Bob Chesney, JMU head coach
Chesney’s first head coaching job was at Division III Salve Regina in 2010 for three years before he jumped to DII Assumption College in 2013, then FCS Holy Cross in 2018, and now he’s in his second year at James Madison. Over the previous 15 seasons, he finished below .500 only once and won at least nine games seven times. This year, he has JMU at 7-1.
He might not have Power Four experience, but Chesney’s worked his way up through every level of NCAA football, bringing great success every time.
Ryan Silverfield, Memphis head coach
With a history as an assistant for Power Four and NFL teams, Silverfield settled in at Memphis in 2015 and worked his way up. He overcame some rough years early in his head coaching tenure and is on his way toward a third-straight 10-win season and a sixth bowl appearance.
Jeff Traylor, UTSA head coach
Traylor is in his sixth season at UTSA, and his win totals have dipped in the last couple years. The Roadrunners went 12-2 and 11-3 in their last two years in Conference USA, but have won nine and seven games the previous two seasons after moving to the American. The program is 4-5 this season.
Traylor also had a long run as a successful head coach at his high school alma mater in Gilmer, Texas, which has helped him maintain strong connections throughout the Texas high school community.
Jim Knowles, Penn State DC
With James Franklin already fired at Penn State, Knowles is unlikely to stay in State College next year. Knowles still has connections to Oklahoma after his four-year stint as OSU’s defensive coordinator, and his fiancée still lives here.
While he has the connections and reasons to come back to the state, Knowles’s only head coaching experience came at Cornell in 2004-09, and Weiberg might be looking for someone with a stronger head coaching background.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU football coaching search: Here are potential candidates for job
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