Oklahoma State Cowboys Mike Gundy Preparing For 'Anything' Amid Texas A&M Aggies Coaching Changes For Texas Bowl

The Cowboys will prepare for the Aggies without knowing who will serve as the acting head coach following Elijah Robinson's promotion.

Mike Gundy is paddling upstream partially blind as he prepares for the TaxAct Texas Bowl against Texas A&M. 

The good news for him and No. 20 Oklahoma State? The Pokes have been here before. 

For the third consecutive bowl game, the Cowboys will face an opponent going through a coaching change. Two years ago in the Fiesta Bowl, OSU took on Notre Dame under recently-named head coach Marcus Freeman following Brian Kelly's departure to LSU. Last season in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Wisconsin was coached by then-defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as Luke Fickell watched from the sidelines. 

Mike Elko and his new staff will take all duties once the clock strikes zero at NRG Stadium on Dec. 27, but the current staff will be the ones calling the shots in Houston. That is, whoever is remaining on staff following the departures of several members.

A&M is looking for someone to call plays for the final game, so Gundy must wait it out before preparations begin. 

“I’m not sure where they’re at with their coaches,” said Gundy said Monday on the Texas Bowl Zoom call. “I’m not sure who’s available to them. Not sure if the new coach coming in is going to coach them. I think we’ll have to wait and see where we’re at about a week from now and try to decipher through what we think could potentially be game plans in all three phases with what we have left.”

Elko, who was hired last month after a two-year stint with Duke, has already dismissed offensive line coach Steve Addazio and receivers coach Dameyune Craig. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino high-tailed it out of College Station after accepting the same position on Sam Pittman's staff at Arkansas. 

Finding an offensive play-caller was already a challenge heading into game-planning, but now the Aggies must tab someone else as interim coach. Defensive line and acting head coach Elijah Robinson was recently named Syracuse's new defensive coordinator under first-year coach Fran Brown. 

Currently, there's no indication of who will serve as A&M's acting coach, but Gundy mentioned this is a common theme through coaching changes in the current age of college football. 

"We’re in a different time right now in college football and all we can do is the best we can moving forward and try to keep as much of the pageantry and amateurism as possible," said Gundy. 

The Cowboys (9-4) are still in the process of self-scouting their 49-21 Big 12 championship loss to Texas in Arlington on Saturday. Gundy said he plans to give his players the rest of the week off before returning to begin practice for the road trip back to the Lone Star State. 

Several players won't participate in the bowl game festivities depending on their NFL draft status or intent to enter the transfer portal. Gundy said he would have an answer as to what his roster will look like by Monday. 

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy runs on to the field before the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Brigham Young Cougars at Boone Pickens Stadium :: © SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Aggies are in a similar boat, though their roster construction could take longer. Elko is juggling the duties of building a new staff while trying to finalize a recruiting class that now is at an influx with the departure of Robinson. 

Players are currently mulling over their decisions on whether to jump in the portal to stick around for another season. Quarterback Max Johnson, safety Jardin Gilbert, receiver Raymond Cottrell, and offensive linemen Remington Strickland and Jordan Spasojevic-Moko have all already announced their intent to enter the portal. 

Sophomore defensive lineman Walter Nolen intends to enter the portal, but according to 247Sports, Nolen's family intends to meet with Elko before making a final decision on his future. 

'Saw It Coming!' Evan Stewart Drops Bombshell About Texas A&M Transfer Portal Situation

"The challenges now, it’s just much different than it ever has been before — coaching staff changes, coaching changes, players in the portal, NIL — it’s just much different than it ever has been before," said Gundy. "So, for us, we’ll use these next few weeks as a spring practice and we’ll have a game plan for Texas A&M, but we’ll change our approach compared to what it’s been in the past based on what we think is best for the program moving forward.”

Senior receiver Ainias Smith will not play in the bowl game after breaking his finger in the Aggies' season-finale loss to No. 13 LSU.