A former Tennessee Vols assistant coach could be a perfect option to replace Mike Gundy as the head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Oklahoma State fired Gundy on Tuesday, ending one of the longest coaching tenures in college football over the last couple of decades.

Gundy, a former Oklahoma State quarterback who flirted with leaving for another opportunity numerous times, went 170-90 as the Cowboys’ head coach from 2005 to 2025.

Former Vols offensive coordinator Alex Golesh makes sense as an option to replace Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State

Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh, who is in his third season as the head coach at USF, is expected to be a hot name during the winter coaching cycle after the Bulls knocked off the Florida Gators earlier this season.

And Oklahoma State could be an ideal landing spot for the former Vols assistant.

Golesh served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State in 2008, so he’s already familiar with Stillwater. He also runs an offense — a version of the the Josh Heupel/Art Briles scheme — that has historically been successful in the Big 12.

I don’t know if Golesh is eager to leave USF — living in Tampa is a pretty nice setup — but if he is, then Oklahoma State could be a good opportunity for him. Golesh could quickly compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff in the Big 12 if he takes over for Gundy. And considering how competitive Golesh is as a coach, you know that winning a championship is a goal of his.

It’s possible that Golesh could hold out for a job in the SEC or the Big 10. I just think the path to a playoff berth would be easier at Oklahoma State. That’s not to suggest that Golesh wouldn’t be successful in the SEC or the Big 10 — I certainly think he could be — he would just probably be better off making the jump to the Big 12 instead of entering the gauntlet of the SEC with a program that probably needs some work.

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Zach Ragan