Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy floats theory about player retention rates in college football

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The transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL) have certainly made an impact on college sports over the past couple of years.

The NCAA adopted the NIL policy in 2021. Since then, college football programs have often been faced with finding creative ways to keep their roster turnover to a minimum. The exercise is perhaps one of the unintended consequences of the policies.

Prior to the portal and NIL, coaches were largely focused on recruiting players to their respective programs and could typically rely on an athlete sticking around for multiple seasons.

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Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy walks off the field in the second half during an NCAA football game between Oklahoma State and Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

During a recent press conference, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy lamented the impact NIL has had on the sport.

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Gundy argued that monetary motivations are the driving force behind players' decisions on which program they want to be a part of.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy walks on the sideline during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

"Player retention is based on money," Gundy responded when asked about player retention. "I'll give you an example. If you’re playing on our team and we go 3-9 and right now you’re making $12,000 and we say, ‘Hey, if you come back we’ll pay you $250,000.’ What are you going to do? Player retention is probably 90 percent built on money now. Not other things. It’s changed."

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy reacts on the sideline in the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies during the TaxAct Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on Dec. 27, 2023 in Houston. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Gundy has been the head coach of the Cowboys since 2005. He added that he refuses to get in a bidding war over a player's NIL value while the season is in progress. Gundy believes those negotiations should be reserved for after the season.

"I told the players there’s no negotiating now," Gundy told reporters in August. "Portal's over. All negotiation's history. Now, we’re playing football. Just coaching and playing football."

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Gundy doubled down on his position during this week's press conference. "That’s what I told the players. There’s no negotiating now," he said. "The portal’s over. All the negotiation’s history. Now, we’re playing football. Just coaching and playing football."

While the advent of NIL and the transfer portal have introduced numerous benefits for the players, the policies have also come with some drawbacks. Oklahoma State enters this Saturday's game against Baylor with a 3-4 record.

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