Stewart Mandel of The Athletic has this to say in his latest Mailbag:
One of my most vivid memories of the pre-portal transfer process involved Gundy. In 2013, sophomore Wes Lunt, who had been his opening day QB1 the year before until getting injured, decided to transfer. Back then, players had to get a release from their school to be eligible for a scholarship at another school. Usually, they’d only get denied from going to play for a rival or within the same conference. Gundy, however, initially blocked Lunt from 37 schools — the entire Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, all future Oklahoma State opponents and Southern Miss, which had hired his OC. Lunt wound up at Illinois.
So I’d imagine a guy who would do that did not adapt well to an era where guys can transfer anywhere, an unlimited number of times, with zero restrictions.
Now, of course, you have to not just find someone, but find the money to get him, negotiate with his agent, etc. Gundy did not exactly hide his disdain for all that. ‘Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It’s non-negotiable now,” he said at the start of the 2024 season.