‘It was a blur’

homa. It all stemmed from a phone call from OSU coach Mike Gundy a couple days earlier.

“It was a blur,” Nardo said.

that call.”

The 20-minute phone call was basic.

Bryan Nardo didn’t think it was real until he held the plane ticket in his hands.

He left Erie, Pennsylvania, in his car at 4 a.m. But he wasn’t headed to a game in Shippensburg or Slippery Rock, home of fellow Pennsylvania State Athletic College teams he coached against as Gannon University’s defensive coordinator. He was headed to a plane bound for Okla-

That phone call and impromptu trip from Cleveland, Ohio, to Oklahoma City landed Nardo, 37, his first coordinator job above the Division II level as OSU’s defensive coordinator. A proposition that almost didn’t seem real.

Gundy reached out to Nardo on a Wednesday afternoon in January. Nardo was in the middle of a recruiting meeting when the phone rang, and the caller ID was an unfamiliar number from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“Most of the time, it’s telemarketers,” Nardo said. “Glad I answered

Gundy was interested in the defense Nardo was running, and he extended an invitation to come to Oklahoma City and meet to talk more about it. Nardo accepted.

Still, it didn’t set in until the flight was booked.

“This is either something really cool or this is a really elaborate prank,” Nardo said. “But when my plane ticket actually came through and had my name on it, I was like, ‘If it’s a prank, that’s a pretty expensive one for the people doing it, so I guess I’ll take a flight.’”

Once in Oklahoma, Gundy and Nardo talked football.

They hit on Nardo’s 3-3-5 scheme Gundy was interested in installing. They talked about Nardo’s defenses, which in 2019 ranked No. 2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association as Emporia State’s defensive coordinator, and his latest stint, Gannon, where he took a defense that surrendered more than 29 points and 400 yards a game into a defense that allowed 21 points and 287 yards per game in just one season – the best at Gannon in decades.

The interview lasted more than six hours.

“I think I had one cup of water, that was it, kept going,” Nardo said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Continued from 1B

Gundy anticipated the interview lasting the typical couple hours.

Instead, the all-day interview sold him on the D-II coach far down his list.

“Afterward, I was like, ‘He’s the guy,’” Gundy said. “’He’s the best guy. Doesn’t matter where he came from, he’s the best guy.’”

Twenty-three hours after leaving to catch his flight, he arrived back in Erie. Ten days after the initial phone call, Nardo was offered the job. It was time to prepare and ready himself for the opportunity.

*****

Nardo called it a “pretty dark time.”

Before his year at Gannon, and after eight seasons at Emporia State, Nardo spent two seasons as the linebackers coach at Youngstown State. There, he coached the first Penguin linebacker to a first-team AllMissouri Valley Football Conference selection in 15 years. But in 2021, he was dismissed.

Now, Nardo looks at that time in a different light. His situation in Youngstown allowed him to call defenses again and set up the chance to coach at OSU.

“The biggest thing was it got me back to being a coordinator,” Nardo said. “It got me back to running my defense and

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Stillwater, OK 74075 being able to have a voice again and impact kids, so that was the biggest transition to get me back believing in myself and believing in what we could do.”

Nardo came to Stillwater two days before the rest of the defensive staff got back to town, and he wanted to be prepared for their arrival.

After Tuesday’s practice, he stood inside the Sherman E. Smith Training Center and pointed south, toward Boone Pickens Stadium.

“I didn’t leave that building very much,” he said.

His wife and two sons wouldn’t get to Stillwater for another five weeks, so it was all football. Nardo said he would arrive at his office around 5:30 a.m. and start watching film. After lunch in the cafeteria, he’d return to his office, where he stayed until 10 p.m. Then it was back to the temporary apartment OSU set up for him.

After coaches were back on campus, it was time for spring football and the installation of the new defense. But Nardo said building relationships with players is just as important. He credited his players at Gannon for being what got him out of his slump after Youngstown State. He added that “if a player doesn’t know you care about them, they don’t care what you know.”

Nardo directly coaches the rovers – a middle safety position. Defensive back Kendal

After injuries, Bray competing

be OSU’s No. 1 wide receiver

Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter

A Mike Gundycoached offense at OSU is known for having a high-flying passing attack and a No. 1 option at wide receiver.

Jaden Bray, one of OSU’s most physically gifted receivers, has been held back from potentially filling that role with several injuries, including a broken left thumb three times.

“He hadn’t been healthy in two years,” Gundy said. “It’s been really unusual, what he went through last year is hard to explain, but it is what it is. He’s one of those guys that we need him to stay healthy. He’s doing good right now, he’ll just get bigger and stronger and faster. But, his competitive nature and his willingness to try and be physical is good. Now, we just need to keep him healthy and let him develop.” would expect that year to be this year now.”

Last year wasn’t an easy time for Bray. He never managed a major injury. Bray said he kept his optimism. He also said he didn’t want to make his injury about himself and wanted to contribute in any way he could. Bray’s family helped, too.

“My two sisters, they’re great, they’re both nurses,” Bray said. “After the game, even when I would talk to them, they would always just be checking up on me. They would always look at it, especially when it first just happened. I would just tell them, ‘I woke up, my thumb is hurting,’ stuff like that. It was great to have all the support.” petition in practice. It is a level of competition cornerback Korie Black is glad to have with Bray back in the mix.

It also helped Bray was not alone in his struggle.

“Going against him every day is fun, he’s a real good receiver,” Black said. “He’s a bigger type so it’s a challenge, just playing a bigger receiver. It’s fun, it’s really helped me a lot too. I’m pretty sure he’s getting better, too.”

Daniels is set to play in that role this season, so he has spent plenty of time with his new coordinator.

“We joke around, and I feel like I’ve known him for a really long time,” Daniels said. “He’s a great guy.”

As spring practice winds down, Nardo reflects on the wild past three months all that’s changed. So many dynamics have changed. One time, Nardo spotted a Charleston fullback showing signs of a play-action design they’d seen in film, so he yelled down to the rover, named Fonzie, through the open press box window.

“Play action, Fonzie.”

The press box was so close to the field, Fonzie heard Nardo and have him a thumbs up as he adjusted his positioning.

He won’t have that luxury in Boone Pickens Stadium. And there’s been more adjustments. His staff is larger. There’s a jump in athleticism.

But Nardo thought things would be more different, finally getting a shot at an FBS program, but it hasn’t been as much as he anticipated. And he’s still glad he answered that phone call.

“It has been very life changing in the sense of what it means for my family, and what it means for my boys and our future,” Nardo said.

“Outside of that, it’s been the exact same job that I’ve always done.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

As a freshman, Bray was second on the team in 25-plus-yard catches with six. He finished the year with 13 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Kasey Dunn, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, said he’s glad to have Bray and his high-jumping ability back on the field.

“I don’t know if he can dunk from the free throw line or not, but I’ll bet he’s damn close,” Dunn said. “He can jump, he’s got great speed and he’s fearless. Two years ago, you saw a glimpse of what he could do. That’s what I expected him to do more of and grow into, so I

OSU wide receiver Blaine Green injured his wrist and was out for all of 2022. Green said he and Bray have a close relationship made stronger through their injuries.

“We went to some of the away games together, he’s basically one of my brothers away from home,” Green said. “We lived together for our first semester here, so we’re on the same page. He lives right next to me, so after practice, I’ll go hang with him. We’ll play 2K, I know we watched the national championship for basketball together. He’s just like a brother besides my twin (Bryson) leaving, he sort of takes that role in place along with my other teammates.”

For the defense, Bray’s presence means a higher level of com-

Bray’s 6-foot-2 205-pound frame looked bigger this spring than it did a year ago. Bray said he weighs the same, but he put on more muscle mass. In some cases, athletes will leave their universities if they can’t get on the field because of repeated injuries. With the transfer portal becoming more popular, OSU saw an exodus of receivers. Bryson Green and John Paul Richardson were two starters who left, while Stephon Johnson and Langston Anderson were rotational wideouts who departed as well.

Bray was one of the few who stayed. He said leaving was never on his mind, only getting healthy and playing for OSU.

“I wasn’t really focused on why they were leaving, I could really only focus on what I had going on,” Bray said. “If they feel like they got other goals to reach somewhere else, then go get your goals. My mind wasn’t really worried about them. I was worried about what we have here and what’s all going on here and making that better.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

Gabriel Trevino Sports Editor

Kasey Dunn has never been through a “normal” year as OSU’s offensive coordinator.

When the offense lost a starting quarterback, three starting receivers and two other freshmen wideouts, a starting running back and a starting offensive lineman to either the transfer portal or eligibility exhaustion, Dunn didn’t panic. He faced challenges in each of his three seasons as offensive coordinator, which has prepared him for his upcoming fourth.

“I’ve sat down and talked to my wife a lot about this stuff and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ But, really it’s like, what’s new?

It’s been three years,” Dunn said.

In 2020, just a month after being promoted, COVID-19 shut down the world. Two months later, social turmoil went throughout the country. In 2021 and ‘22, the team managed NIL and the new transfer portal, with numerous injuries to key players.

Through the past three years of whirlwind, OSU is the only team in the Big 12 with a winning record in each of those seasons.

“This has been a helluva ride,” Dunn said. “I’m just thrilled to be a part of the culture that (Mike) Gundy has established here for sure and his ability to continue to win in probably one of the strangest times in college football.”

Through seven games in 2022, OSU’s offense averaged 45 points per game and 467 yards per game, and the Cowboys rolled to a 6-1 record. In the final six, they averaged only 14 points and won one game.

The offense struggled in the second half of the season and it had many players to replace.

“Things don’t fix themselves, right?” Gundy said. “You drive down the road, you hear something clunking in the engine in your car, you turn the radio up so you don’t have to listen to it and make you feel better, and two or three days later you’re on the side of the road. We have to figure out what that is. So, that’s really the definition I gave them. This is what we have to do to become a better offense.”

Enter eight transfers on offense; wide receivers

De’Zhaun Stribling, Arland Bruce IV and Leon Johnson III; quarterback Alan Bowman; running back Elijah Collins; tight ends Ian Edenfield and Josiah Johnson and offensive lineman Dalton Cooper. Players such as Cole Birmingham, Jaden Bray and Blaine Green returned from injury-riddled seasons to aid OSU’s depth.

Gundy, Dunn and the offensive staff also changed their approach in schemes and playcalling. Gundy emphasized the importance of running the ball consistently. The team averaged only 3.4 yards per attempt last season. Second to last in the Big 12. To improve it drastically to where OSU wants it to be, the coaching staff added more counter and power runs to the playbook, similar to modern rush-heavy offenses in the Big 12.

OSU’s offense lost many key players, arising panic for many fans. But in the new age of college football, Dunn highlighted the importance of staying calm and ensuring the strives the team makes will make it better than before offseason moves. “We lost a bunch, but everybody lost a bunch,” Dunn said. “We’re all trying to figure this thing out. The receiver that you thought you had, or the quarterback that you thought you had, or the offensive lineman you thought you had, or the All-Big 12 tight end you thought you had, maybe he packed up and went somewhere else. I’m saying that for all teams in the country, not just for Oklahoma State. That’s everybody. So, you just have to take a deep breath every once in a while and say, ‘Hey man, do we continue to get it done?’ We’re getting it done. I’m excited to be at a place that we are.”

OSU had eight hits against the Shockers and seven in its loss against ISU.

The Cowgirls have a key threegame series coming up at Texas — the team responsible for OSU’s losing streak and elimination in the WCWS. Gajewski said his offense has showed signs of life, but needs to improve down the stretch.

Waste-conscious Gundy pushing for increase in Big 12-low recruiting budget

OSU football coach Mike Gundy said his team’s recruiting budget needs to grow. But he wants to avoid an irresponsible pitfall.

“Do we need to increase it? Sure. Are we increasing it? Sure. But I’m not gonna waste money,” Gundy said.

OSU’s $455,689 in recruiting expenditure in the last fiscal year was the least among Power Five teams, according to information obtained by USA Today.

“Why would I not want more money?” Gundy said. “That’s like your wife. Like, she goes to the mall and you say, ‘OK, look, you can spend $200. Are we good with that?’ And then you say, ‘Nah, take the $500.’ Then she says, ‘Nah, I don’t want the $500. I want the $200.’ That’s crazy.” The Oklahoma Sooners ($2,632,817) outspent the Cowboys by more than 5-to-1. Even the Big 12’s second-smallest spender, Iowa State, spent $804,942.

The report classified recruiting expenses as costs covering transportation, lodging and meals for recruits, additional personnel for official and unofficial visits, phone charges and postage for pursuing recruits and the value of schools’ vehicles and planes or those used by the school for recruiting.

Gundy said he will never turn down recruiting money, and his budget has gotten a boost.

“We’re getting more now,” Gundy said. “We’re not going to be in the millions like these other schools. We’re just not. But part of that, you have to take with a grain of salt.”

Gundy said the Cowboys don’t house recruits at the Ritz-Carlton or spend big on extravagant team meals. The Cowboys offer a more realistic (and much cheaper) taste of Stillwater to recruits.

“We put them on campus in the hotel they’re going to be in on gameday so it’s exactly like it’s going to be like when they’re here,” Gundy said. “We don’t take them to a restaurant and spend $18,000 on food. We take them to training table because that’s where they eat when they’re here.”

Gundy said private airfare is a large part of teams’ recruiting expenses. He knows how much it costs to keep a jet ($4,800) and double-prop planes ($2,900) in the air for an hour.

The Cowboys have consistently finished in the Big 12’s top-five recruiting ranking in the previous six season, although they came in at No. 7 in 2022. Gundy has done a decent ability to recruit on a discount, considering his rather extreme disadvantage.

“I’m also a good team player,” Gundy said. “I don’t want to take some money and waste it in areas we don’t need if I can help facilitate girls softball or track or equestrian or something else.” sports.ed@ocolly.com