It’s official; four-star running back Kaydin Jones and wide receiver Jabarie Thornton have pulled their commitments from Oklahoma State.
The news comes on the same day as the afternoon announcement that Mike Gundy was terminated. The second-longest-tenured FBS head coach was in the midst of his 21st season leading the Cowboys and has recently fallen to 1-2 in a 19-12 loss to Tulsa last Friday.
Jones is ESPN’s No. 25 RB prospect in 2025 and Thornton is listed as a three-star prospect who also had offers from Baylor and Houston, among others.
Jabarie Thornton Chimes in on His Decommitment Following Mike Gundy Termination
Gundy’s departure comes less than 24 hours after he publicly stated his intentions and desire to remain on with the Cowboys at Monday’s practice.
“I’m under contract, here, for I think 3.5 years,” Gundy had just said, according to ESPN. “When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I’ve put my heart and soul into this, and I will continue to do that until at some point, if I say I don’t want to do it or if somebody else says we don’t want you to do it.”
Gundy was slated to make $6.75 million in 2025. Per his contract, he will be owed $15 million by the university upon his departure. Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Doug Meacham has since been named interim head coach.
As previously referenced, Thornton has since decommitted and is fully open to new recruitment opportunities.
“Sad about it, obviously,” Thornton told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. “At the moment, I just have to talk to my family and make a decision.”
Four-star Jones also followed suit.
NEWS: Four-star RB Kaydin Jones has pulled his commitment from Oklahoma State, a source tells @ESPN.
Jones’ decommitment immediately follows news of Mike Gundy’s exit in Stillwater. He is ESPN’s No. 25 RB prospect in 2025 and should attract plenty of interest up ahead this fall. pic.twitter.com/5lQ7BcoQ8Q
— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) September 23, 2025
After an 18-19 start to his coaching career, Gundy and Oklahoma State won at least nine games in five of their next six seasons, headlined by a 2011 Big 12 title campaign that saw Oklahoma State finish No. 3 in the AP Top 25 with a Fiesta Bowl win over Stanford.
The Cowboys dropped 11 of their past 12 games dating to the start of the 2024 season, with 11 consecutive defeats against FBS opponents, the longest such streak among Power 4 programs in the country.
Gundy concluded his time at OSU as the winningest coach in program history.
In addition to future commits such as Jones and Thornton, there is now a 30-day window for players to leave the program via the transfer portal, beginning Wednesday.
