Nick Saban Explains How NIL Played a Major Role in Mike Gundy’s Firing

Oklahoma State’s decision to part ways with longtime head coach Mike Gundy sent shockwaves through college football. After more than two decades leading the Cowboys, Gundy’s tenure ended as college football’s shift toward NIL money created tension with his traditional ways.

Legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who retired in January 2024, offered his perspective on College GameDay, saying that Gundy’s downfall reflected a growing divide between older coaches and the rapidly changing business of college sports. 

“Some people have a tougher time embracing the whole idea of paying players, especially some of us old timers,” Saban said. “Coaching is teaching, and teaching is the ability to inspire learning. For those of us who’ve done this for years, embracing paying the players has been a little bit harder—and I think that ultimately is what got them at Oklahoma State.”

Saban’s comments highlight what many notable figures around college football already believe: the NIL era is rewriting the rules of college football, and not everyone has been able or willing to adjust. 

As CBS Sports noted, Saban has always said that NIL and player payments weren’t the main reasons for his retirement. Still, those close to the program say the changes in college football never fully sat right with him.

Former Crimson Tide cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry said on Robert Griffin III’s podcast last year that Saban preferred the old model of development over the new money-driven recruiting culture:

“I was part of the last class where he didn’t have to worry about players asking for money,” McKinstry said. “Coach always told us, ‘You’ll get your money when you make it to the league.’ He cared more about helping you grow as a person and as a player.”

After Alabama’s final playoff appearance under his watch, Saban admitted that several players came to him asking how much they’d earn in NIL deals the following season. This was a moment he said made him realize how much the sport had changed. 

Saban agreed that players deserved a share of the revenue, but he opposed turning college athletes into employees and criticized how chaotic the NIL system had become. 

The New NIL Reality in College Football

Since NIL rules went into effect in 2021, college football has started to look more like a free market. Big-money programs such as Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, and Miami have spent millions to stack their rosters, while schools like Oklahoma State have struggled to stay in the same conversation. 

Gundy himself admitted the financial gap between programs earlier this season, citing Oregon’s “$40 million roster” compared to Oklahoma State’s modest spending of roughly $7 million over the past three years.

“Now, I might be off a few million,” Gundy said before the season opener. “What I’m saying is—they’re spending a lot of money. There’s some schools that are doing that.”

The growing divide between old-school coaches and the new NIL-driven model has become one of the biggest storylines in college football. For Mike Gundy, that gap proved impossible to close, and it ultimately played a major role in his downfall at Oklahoma State. 

What’s Next for Oklahoma State

Over two decades in Stillwater, Mike Gundy became the winningest coach in Oklahoma State history with 170 wins. 

He led the Cowboys to eight seasons with at least 10 wins, including 12-win campaigns in 2011 and 2021, and built a program that made 17 straight bowl appearances. 

Gundy defined an era of Oklahoma State football, and it’ll feel strange seeing someone else on that sideline.

With Gundy gone, Oklahoma State faces a critical identity crisis. The Cowboys, once a model of stability, now must adapt to survive in an environment that rewards aggressive NIL investment and player mobility. 

The next head coach will take over a program coming off a 3-9 season last year and a rough 1-4 start this year, including a 69-3 blowout loss to Oregon and a home loss to Tulsa.

Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham has stepped in as Oklahoma State’s interim head coach after Gundy’s firing. A former OSU player and longtime assistant, Meacham has deep ties to the program, having previously coached the team’s tight ends and inside receivers.

Whether Meacham keeps the job or the school decides to look elsewhere, Oklahoma State can’t afford to fall further behind in the NIL race. 

They will need to fully buy into the new era, treating NIL not just as a recruiting tool but as a core part of how the program competes moving forward.

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