



STILLWATER -- As was reported last week former Oklahoma head coach and NFL defensive coordinator and assistant Gary Gibbs attended an Oklahoma State fall camp football practice and watched from the sidelines. Gibbs has always been respected by Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and when Gibbs asked if he could visit practice, Gundy was enthusiastic about having him. As reported by Go Pokes on Sunday, Gibbs was back in Stillwater today and sources informed Go Pokes and 247Sports is that Gibbs is going to join the Oklahoma State program in a limited capacity as either a defensive analyst or consultant. No announcement has been made, but I did joke on radio that this is like, "Dogs and Cats living together."

Actually, that is not fair to Gundy or Gibbs. Of course, Mike Gundy comes from a split Bedlam family as his brother Cale was a quarterback that played for Gary Gibbs when he was head coach and Cale Gundy is a longtime Oklahoma assistant coach that is now co-offensive coordinator. Gibbs hasn't coached at Oklahoma since he was dismissed as head coach in 1994. The former OU linebacker is supportive of his alma mater, but Gibbs has always been a football man first before wearing his school colors on his sleeve and has been gone from Oklahoma for 24-years.

He became the defensive coordinator at Georgia (2000) and LSU (2001) before going to the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys (2002-2005).

Gibbs became the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints in 2006 and served in that capacity for the next two seasons. He then worked with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009 through last season, primarily as the linebackers coach, but he was the Chiefs defensive coordinator in 2012.

Gibbs just turned 66-years-old a week ago on August 13.

Oklahoma State currently has 10 analysts and five of those are prospect or recruiting analysts. On the field analysts include former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator and Texas A&M assistant coach Bill Clay on defense and former Purdue assistant and Kent State and Holy Cross offensive coordinator Brian Rock also works with the defense. Former Montana and Colorado School of Mines head coach Bob Stitt and longtime defensive assistant at Tulsa, East Carolina, TCU, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Rice in Chris Thurmond work with the offense. Former Alabama deep snapper M.K. Taylor is a special teams analyst.

Analysts primarily work a week ahead in early scouting on opponents and provide the Jim Knowles and his defensive staff a head start on breaking down an opposing offense. The analysts on offense do the same for Mike Yurcich and his staff.

The guess here is that Gibbs would assist with the defensive staff. Obviously, new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has brought in the 4-2-5 defensive system that he used at first at Western Michigan and then as head coach at Cornell and as the defensive coordinator at Duke. Knowles is multiple and is smart enough to understand that you are never too old and cannot be too stubborn to learn from others. He has been encouraging to his staff to bring their ideas in putting the Cowboys plan for this season to the table.

There will be some that will be less receptive of having a former OU head coach working with the Cowboys staff in any capacity, but this is a win as Gary Gibbs has a very sharp football mind for defensive football.