Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy getting recruiting advice from his athletic director is a bad look. But it’s also warranted.

When OSU AD Mike Holder appeared on the Pistols Firing Podcast, I’m certain he didn’t expect to create oceanic waves for the most important coach he oversees in Stillwater.

I’m also certain Gundy tasted the salt from them. I mean, peep this tweet:

??

— Mike Gundy (@CoachGundy) June 14, 2018

“He's really matured into a difference-maker as a coach," Holder told Pistols Firing. "I would approach recruiting a little differently than he does. I'd want to finish higher in those recruiting rankings than we consistently do. I think that ultimately puts a ceiling on what you're able to achieve.”

Holder’s more right than I think he knows. 

Oklahoma State has never put together a top 10 recruiting class, despite six 10-win seasons—including three straight—since 2010. This includes the best ever season at Oklahoma State when quarterback Brandon Weeden led the Cowboys to a No. 3 Associated Press poll ranking after finishing the season 12-1 with a Fiesta Bowl win against Stanford.

This was the Year of Squinky, a source Brian Phillips unearthed and framed as something akin to Allspark in Stillwater: “Somewhere in the bones of the earth, coiling and uncoiling like the kraken, there lurks a malevolent power. And the whole purpose of this malevolent power, the entire aim of its wrathful soul, is to screw with Oklahoma State. This power has no name, so for the purposes of this article, I’m going to call it ‘Squinky.’”

But Squinky can’t recruit.

Either Gundy can’t recruit either, or—more likely—doesn’t care past his quarterback, wide receiver and the occasional standout defensive stud like defensive back Justin Gilbert.

In 2018, Baylor (30) finished three spots ahead of OSU (33) in the 247 composite team recruiting rankings. In 2016, Baylor (40) finished five spots ahead of OSU (45) in the 247 composite. That was also the year Baylor University and its football program were leveled by a sexual assault scandal of its own making.

At $5 million annually, Gundy is the highest paid state employee in Oklahoma. If he can’t out-recruit Baylor then or since, then yes, Holder is perfectly correct to say his head coach isn’t doing a good enough job bringing better talent to Stillwater.

“I would just say, ‘Mike, you've got to change your thinking on recruiting a little bit.’ That would be all. I think sometimes we settle when we don't have to. But I'm not out there recruiting, and I have no idea how to recruit football players.”

Oh, but you do, Mr. Holder. You do.

It’s the same way you recruit head coaches. If Gundy doesn’t heed your words, perhaps it’s time you went looking for a new one.