The Son of a Big 12 Coach Went Off, Then Vanished

Oklahoma State’s blowout loss to Oregon was bad enough. Then Gavin Gundy made it worse.

The son of longtime Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy went viral on Saturday after unleashing a heated response to criticism aimed at his father. But by Monday, the damage control was already underway. Gavin deleted his tweet, then deactivated his X account entirely.

The outburst came after Pistols Firing Blog’s Carson Cunningham called out Oklahoma State’s decision to punt from the Oregon 42-yard line while trailing big. Cunningham’s post read, “Imagine spending the money to travel to Oregon and buy tickets to watch Gundy punt from the Oregon 42…” Gavin, clearly fed up, fired back with: “Imagine being this pathetic. You will never understand the size of balls it takes to do what he does, and how Oklahoma State would be completely irrelevant without him.”

The post was deleted soon after, but not before screenshots made the rounds. Then, Gavin’s entire X account disappeared as he later elected to deactivate his account.

While public criticism of coaches is nothing new, the personal nature of Gavin’s rant raised eyebrows. The Gundy name carries weight in Stillwater. Mike Gundy has built Oklahoma State into a consistent Big 12 contender, but his family’s response to criticism is now becoming part of the story, especially when things on the field aren’t going well.

Oklahoma State is coming off a 3–9 season that included a winless run in Big 12 play. Fans were hopeful that 2025 would mark a turnaround, but Saturday’s 69–3 loss to Oregon was a national embarrassment. Gavin’s decision to publicly lash out and then retreat has only added fuel to the fire.

It’s fair to recognize Mike Gundy’s contributions to Oklahoma State. He’s the winningest coach in program history and a stabilizing figure over two decades. But that doesn’t make him immune to criticism, especially when the program looks as bad as it did in Eugene.

Gavin’s tweets are gone, and so is his account. But the optics remain. Instead of silencing critics, the episode gave them more to point to.

The focus now turns to what Oklahoma State does next. And with emotions boiling over both online and on the field, the pressure in Stillwater isn’t going away.