Facing intense scrutiny after hiring — then losing — star coach Brad Underwood to Illinois all within the span of a year, OSU athletic director Mike Holder made a bet in March 2017 on then-assistant coach Mike Boynton.
With Oklahoma State’s problem reeling from Underwood’s one-and-done season, leaving the fanbase and even those inside OSU’s offices shell-shocked, Holder saw something in Boynton that many did not. After a quiet search that many hoped would include Archie Miller (now fired from Indiana), Doug Gottlieb (still doing media things) and others, Holder tabbed Boynton as the program’s next head coach.