The season only lasted for a matter of weeks before the college football coaching carousel already started to spin. UCLA and Virginia Tech became the first notable programs to fire their head coaches after underwhelming starts to the season.
More programs are sure to take a ride on the college football coaching carousel but the question is when. After an offseason full of tension, the pressure appears to be mounting on Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.
The longtime coach agreed to take an expensive pay cut this offseason, but Gundy’s seat appears to have remained hot. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Ralph Russo reported that some staffers at the Cowboys’ rival Oklahoma are worried Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle could be a prime candidate to replace Gundy, if Oklahoma State makes a move.
“Gundy, who has a $15 million buyout, entered the season on a hot seat, and it has only gotten hotter,” Feldman and Russo wrote in a September 12, 2025, story titled, “Could Oklahoma State tab Oklahoma’s OC to replace Mike Gundy? What we’re hearing in Week 3.” “Who could follow him in Stillwater?
“Some inside Oklahoma think Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle could be a target. Arbuckle, who turns 30 next week, has put a much-needed jolt into Oklahoma’s offense. In a 24-13 win against No. 15 Michigan last week, dynamic dual-threat QB John Mateer, who followed Arbuckle to Norman from Washington State, accounted for three touchdowns and helped the Sooners convert nine of 17 third-down tries.”
Oklahoma State HC Mike Gundy Took a $1 Million Pay Cut During the College Football Offseason
Gundy agreed to a $1 million pay cut during the offseason to give the coach a new $6.75 million salary. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Gundy has four years remaining on his deal. Gundy is set to have a $125,000 raise after each of the next three seasons, per Yahoo Sports.
That is if Gundy is able to keep the Oklahoma State gig through the life of his deal. Gundy is owed more than $27 million through the next four years.
Oklahoma State Would Be on the Hook for Mike Gundy’s $15 Million Buyout
The coach has a $15 million buyout if Oklahoma State opts to hit the reset button and fire Gundy. What has changed to make Gundy even more on the hot seat?
Gundy did not help his case by Oklahoma State losing to Oregon 69-3 in Week 2. Yet, it would be a surprise if Oklahoma State did not give Gundy some leeway to get through the Pokes’ Big 12 schedule, but few expected the UCLA and Virginia Tech jobs to open less than one month into the college football season.
Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle Is Expected To Be a ‘Hot Commodity’ in the College Football Coaching Carousel
Regardless of what happens in Stillwater, it sounds like the folks in Norman are on alert when it comes to Arbuckle’s future. Russo and Feldman detailed why Arbuckle could have appeal to Oklahoma State and other college football programs in the coming months.
“Arbuckle is becoming a hot commodity,” Feldman and Russo added. “His track record of producing prolific offenses has sparked a meteoric rise since he finished his playing career at West Texas A&M in 2017.
“He broke into coaching as a quality control assistant in 2018 at Houston Baptist, where he supplemented his income by driving for a food delivery app,” the college football insiders continued.
“Arbuckle helped coordinator Zach Kittley transform the Western Kentucky offense, which finished No. 3 in the country in yards per play in 2021, and then replaced Kittley as play caller when his friend left for Texas Tech.”