The son of Oklahoma State’s head coach joins the Bobcats’ quarterback room.
It’s unusual to hear the name “Gundy” change places in the college football landscape, as Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has manned the sidelines in Stillwater for 19 years and counting — 23 consecutive years if you count his four years as an assistant before landing the head coaching gig.
But one Gundy is on the move. Quarterback Gunnar Gundy, the son of the longtime head coach, announced his transfer from Oklahoma State to Ohio on Friday.
Committed! All in! #OUohyeah pic.twitter.com/9ywecWB5sR
— Gunnar Gundy (@GundyGunnar) January 5, 2024
Gundy entered the transfer portal in mid-December and announced he received an offer from Ohio on Dec. 29, before committing Jan. 5. The quarterback, who just finished his redshirt sophomore campaign, played three seasons for his dad’s program. He started one game in 2022, earning a 20-14 home win over Iowa State.
Gundy finished his Oklahoma State tenure with career stats of 40-for-73 with 449 passing yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. He additionally rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and that rushing touchdown occurred in his final game as a Cowboy — scoring on a 10-yard QB draw in a Texas Bowl victory over Texas A&M.
The soon-to-be fourth-year player likely transfers from his hometown program in order to amplify playing time, after Oklahoma State starting quarterback Alan Bowman was granted another year of eligibility in 2024.
He joins an Ohio quarterback room which recently lost four-year starter Kurtis Rourke to Indiana in the portal. The Bobcats retain two players with starting experience in their quarterback room — CJ Harris and Parker Navarro, who were the starters for Ohio’s 2022 and 2023 bowl victories, respectively.
Harris won MVP honors of the 2022 Arizona Bowl and racked up one start this fall, before missing the remainder of the season due to an undisclosed medical condition. Navarro made his first collegiate start in the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl, guiding Ohio to a 41-21 win over Georgia Southern behind 120 passing yards, 71 rushing yards, and one passing touchdown. Both quarterbacks were labeled seniors this season, but retain eligibility.
Boasting three quarterbacks with starting experience on the roster, Ohio certainly has plenty of options at its disposal when the post-Rourke era officially arrives in fall 2024.