When Nick Saban recently addressed the dismissal of Mike Gundy from Oklahoma State, his comments struck at the heart of an evolving landscape in college football. Saban reflected:
"“Some people have a tougher time embracing the whole idea of paying players, especially some of us old timers. It's a little more difficult. Mike Gundy has been a great coach for a long time. Coaching is teaching, and teaching is ability to inspire learning. For those of us who kind of get that and that's been our self-gratification for so many years, embracing paying the players has been a little bit harder, and I think that ultimately is what got them at Oklahoma State.