In 2013, went off the beaten path to hire Mike Yurcich, then the offensive coordinator of Division II Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, to the same post at Oklahoma State.
A decade later, he did it again.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma State announced Bryan Nardo as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Nardo spent 2022 as the defensive coordinator at Gannon University, a member of the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference.
"I cannot thank Coach Gundy and the rest of the staff enough for their openness throughout this entire process and for trusting me with this responsibility," Nardo said. "I am extremely excited to join the rich tradition of Oklahoma State football. I can't wait to get to work and continue to build upon all of the great things that have been done here throughout history. I spent eight years recruiting the state of Oklahoma, seeing first hand the amount of pride people have in this university's athletic programs. There's no better place to be able to represent.
"I am also thankful for Coach Erik Raeburn and Lisa Goddard McGuirk for the opportunities they presented me with at Gannon. Their trust and belief is something I don't feel like I will ever be able to truly repay. Gannon is a special place and I loved every day working there. This is an exciting time for my family. Emma, Dominick, Elijah and I are excited to get to Stillwater and begin building relationships within the community."
Nardo only ran the Gannon defense for one season, which Oklahoma State noted was the best defensive performance by the school in 20 years. Nardo lopped more than 105 yards per game off the Golden Knights' total defense average, and limited opponents to 21.9 points per game, a touchdown-per-game improvement.
Prior to Gannon, Nardo spent 2020-21 coaching linebackers at Youngstown State. From 2012-19, he was the defensive coordinator at Emporia State, a Division II school in Kansas.
A coach just text me this https://t.co/97ElOpZBdj pic.twitter.com/HtMxN4HvoF
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Nardo replaces Derek Mason, who came to Oklahoma State from the SEC. He made $1.1 million in his lone season in Stillwater.
"I'm excited about the addition of the Bryan Nardo as our defensive coordinator," Gundy said. "He's a young energetic, bright football coach who brings 10 years of coordinating experience with him. He's been successful and his innovative system has helped win games everywhere he's been."
In addition to the hire, Gundy elevated Joe Bob Clements to co-defensive coordinator and Tim Duffie to defensive pass game coordinator.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.