Mike Gundy is out at Oklahoma State -- Top candidates, transfers and recruits to watch - ESPN

Oklahoma State knew this day was coming.

Coach Mike Gundy had barely escaped 2024 with his job, after a winless Big 12 campaign that crashed out with a 52-0 loss at Colorado. Gundy replaced his entire coaching staff and entered this season with a tenuous quarterback situation, which became more dire after starter Hauss Hejny broke his foot in the opener. Normally, situations like Oklahoma State's don't end well, even for a coach as synonymous with the program as Gundy.

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The team's first home loss to Tulsa since 1951 spelled the end for Gundy, who was fired on Tuesday. Gundy is the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history, and led his alma mater to nine AP top-20 finishes between 2008 and 2021. But the program fell off sharply after 2023, and will now reset.

When Oklahoma and Texas left the Big 12, Gundy thought Oklahoma State was positioned to potentially be the league's new kingpin. But the league has changed, schools like Texas Tech are making major investments and Oklahoma State's future looks murky. Still, Oklahoma State has some definite pluses, including a history of winning that Gundy molded.

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UTSA coach Jeff Traylor: Two years ago, Traylor would be a slam-dunk hire for Oklahoma State, and still might be. He was on the radar for higher-profile jobs like Texas A&M's after leading UTSA to 23 wins and consecutive Conference USA titles from 2021 to 2022. A four-time Texas state high school coach of the year at Gilmer High, where he won three state titles, Traylor remains one of the most connected and respected coaches in Texas. He served as a college assistant at Texas,