Cougs Daily

Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy Takes a Shot at New BYU Commit Caleb Etienne

Mike Gundy claimed that Etienne entered the transfer portal after losing his starting job

Casey Lundquist

On Monday, former Oklahoma State starting left tackle Caleb Etienne entered the transfer portal and committed to BYU. Etienne was one of only a few players to start all 13 games for Oklahoma State's offense last season. Etienne played over 1,000 snaps and allowed only one sack.

A few hours later, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy met with the media as part of Oklahoma State's Spring camp. Gundy brought up Etienne's transfer, saying he left Oklahoma State after he felt like he lost his starting job. "Caleb felt like he got beat out (of a starting job)," Gundy said. "So he left. But that's his choice...the portal is there for a variety of reasons. Players can get more money in NIL, they can be a player that's late in their career that says 'I want to do something different, I want to go somewhere new', or a guy says, 'I'm not going to be a starter, I want to go be a starter.'"

Oklahoma State has struggled to retain its starting talent this offseason - the Cowboys have lost 17 players to the transfer portal. Of those 17 players, 10 have transferred to Power Five programs. You could argue that Oklahoma State has lost more to the transfer portal than any program in college football. Among the transfers was former four-year starting quarterback Spencer Sanders. Sanders transferred to Ole Miss after scoring 85 touchdowns and accounting for over 9,500 yards at Oklahoma State.

So did Caleb Etienne really lose his starting job and that's what pushed him into the transfer portal? Or were Gundy's comments the opinion of a frustrated head coach that has struggled to retain his top players? We will never know for sure, but one thing we do know: Gundy's comments add even more intrigue to BYU's game at Oklahoma State in November. 

BYU and its fans haven't experienced inner-conference banter since 2010. Comments like those made from Mike Gundy remind BYU fans of what it feels like to be back in a conference again.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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