What Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy said about Bryan Nardo, spring practice & more

STILLWATER — After a search that spanned from NFL assistants to high school coaches, it was an unexpected 6 ½ hour meeting with Bryan Nardo that sold Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy on his new defensive coordinator.

Gundy had been traveling the country to interview anyone with what he considered to be deep understanding of the 3-3-5 defense he wanted to implement at OSU.

Nardo, then the defensive coordinator at Division II Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, was lined up for what Gundy expected to be a preliminary meeting.

“I was planning on grabbing him for a couple hours,” Gundy said on Tuesday prior to the Cowboys’ first spring practice. “I thought it would be just an informative interview. It ended up being 6 ½ hours long. And afterward… he’s the guy. He’s the best guy. Didn’t make a difference where he came from, he’s the best guy.”

With the opening of spring practice this week, the Cowboys will begin to finally execute the system they’ve been learning the past two months in walk-through and video sessions.

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Gundy altered the offseason workout schedule to give the team additional learning periods of on-field walk-throughs to begin picking up the schemes Nardo is installing.

Though outsiders might snicker at Gundy’s outside-the-box hiring philosophies, the coach is excited about who he is handing the defense to.

Gundy sought out someone who was familiar with the 3-3-5, but also had familiarity with four-man front schemes to blend in.

“I started watching video all across the country for what I thought we needed. There’s only this many of ‘em that actually understand that system,” Gundy said, holding his finger and thumb an inch apart. “I went and interviewed all of ‘em, but you can count ‘em on one hand.

“I looked everywhere. I looked in high school. I didn’t have a problem hiring a high school guy. There was a couple good guys, high school coaches, that are qualified for this job. I didn’t get to that point once I found Bryan.”

More:Oklahoma State football: Five key position battles in spring practice for Cowboys

New faces highlight spring ball for OSU Cowboys

Gundy says he has 28 new players on the spring roster, which is much higher than past years, when a few early enrollees from high school, and maybe a couple of transfers might report in January.

“Most years in the past, you’re looking at three or four new players,” Gundy said. “Finding our way through, getting everybody together rep-wise, and trying to get schemes built in all three phases to benefit us for the summer, so guys can practice on their own.”

Of course, now that the transfer portal is buzzing at a different level than ever before, the Cowboys — and every other college football program — must get used to welcoming in new faces for the spring.

Of the 28 new players in OSU camp, 13 are scholarship additions from the transfer portal, with four early enrollees from high school. The rest are walk-ons, whether transfers or freshmen.

More:Will Alan Bowman be the quarterback Oklahoma State football needs?

Mike Gundy on renewed emphasis on run game

Gundy pointed to the remake of the tight end position as a sign of the changing philosophy of the run game.

Though it has been reported that Gundy plans to move away from the zone-blocking scheme to something that more resembles the more traditional power-blocking schemes of his early teams, Gundy avoided any specific scheme talk.

Aside from the tight end changes, Gundy said execution is the emphasis in spring.

“We didn’t run the ball good enough for two years,” Gundy said. “People run counters, they run zones, they run pull play, they run power, they run speed option. We didn’t run it very good. It’s no secret, we went out and picked up what would be traditional tight ends, and we feel like that could help us in the running game,

“It’s not so much what the schemes are, because pretty much all of us do the same thing. It’s how well we can execute it, the players that are executing it, and how well we get it coached up.”

The Cowboys brought in two transfer tight ends with minimal pass-catching history, though both are physical players who can aid in blocking.

Ian Edenfield, who came from Division II California University of Pennsylvania, is listed at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, and Massachusetts transfer Josiah Johnson is 6-foot-5, 235.

“Josiah’s come in here and worked hard,” Gundy said. “He’s 23 pounds heavier than he was when he got here in January. I would guess he’d gain another 12-15 by August. Edenfield is already a big guy.

“Two different type of players. A little bit like (former OSU tight ends Blake) Jarwin and (Zac) Veatch. We need those type of players in our offensive system now so we can rush the ball more.”

More:Oklahoma State football aims to reinvigorate run game with talented backs, new philosophy

Extra points

• Gundy says the spring will be the start of an open quarterback competition with Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel, Zane Flores and Gunnar Gundy.

“There's really not enough reps for everybody in the spring to really make final decisions,” Gundy said, adding that he can’t say for sure if the competition will carry into August camp. “Everybody's going to have a chance to compete.”

• Gunnar Gundy, who missed the bowl game after elbow surgery, was going through full workouts with the other quarterbacks, which included a variety of throws.

“He’s healthy now,” Mike Gundy said. “He got healthy, they released him about two weeks ago.”

• In a very different look from last spring, OSU had just one player on the sidelines riding a stationary bike during the start of practice.

“We had a waiting line for the bikes over there, like Planet Fitness,” Gundy said, referring to last spring’s slew of players recovering from offseason injuries.

• Gundy talked minimally about specific players, but discussed his intrigue regarding 6-foot-5, 207-pound receiver transfer Leon Johnson II, from Division III George Fox University.

“Did anybody know there was a George Fox? You gotta be honest,” Gundy said. “Already has a math degree from George Fox. And he's 6-6, has big hands, he's athletic. He's a three-sport guy, and he vertical jumped 35 inches. So, how is he at George Fox? We'll find out. That's what's intriguing about him.”

More:How different will Oklahoma State football's secondary look in Bryan Nardo's defense?

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Mike Gundy talks about Bryan Nardo, QB race