Dez Bryant calls for Oklahoma State to hire Zac Robinson as head coach, Mike Gundy replacement

For the first time in two decades, Oklahoma State is in the market for a new head football coach after longtime coach Mike Gundy was relieved of his duties on Tuesday following a disappointing 1-2 start to the 2025 college football season. Gundy finishes with a career record of 170-90 over 21 seasons leading the Cowboys, including a 4-11 record in his final 15 games at the helm.

While the search for Gundy’s replacement is just now beginning, former NFL receiver and Oklahoma State alum Dez Bryant made his preference clear. Bryant called on the Cowboys to hire Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, his former quarterback at Oklahoma State in the late 2000s.

“Oklahoma State, let’s make Zac Robinson the head coach!” Bryant tweeted Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the news of Gundy’s firing was made official.

Oklahoma state let’s make Zac Robinson the head coach!

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 23, 2025

Bryant is one of Oklahoma State’s most vocal alumni, especially on social media, and appears to speak for a growing contingent of Cowboys fans eager for Robinson to replace his former coach. Robinson played under Gundy from 2005-2009, starting his final three seasons in Stillwater before finishing as one of the program’s top playmakers with 8,317 yards on 61.1-percent passing and 66 touchdowns through the air while adding 1,858 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground between 2006-09.

Zac Robinson an early fan-favorite to replace Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State

The 38-year-old Robinson is an up-and-coming NFL coordinator in his second season leading the Falcons offense after cutting his teeth working under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams from 2019-23. Robinson played three years in the NFL (2010-13) after being a seventh-round pick — No. 250 overall — in the 2010 NFL Draft, though he never saw the field before an elbow injury ending his playing career.

Bryant went much earlier than his college quarterback when the Dallas Cowboys made him the No. 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The three-time Pro Bowler played nine seasons in the NFL between 2010-2020, eight of which with the Cowboys. Now, five years into his retirement, Bryant wants to see his alma mater run it back with another former quarterback in Robinson.

Robinson appears to be the early fan favorite to replace Gundy, with On3‘s Pete Nakos noting that Robinson “would be a return to some of the best years in program history” and “would motivate Oklahoma State donors” in his hot board report earlier Tuesday.