The Oklahoma State Board of Regents approved a new four-year contract for athletic director Chad Weiberg, the school announced Friday, ending months of speculation about his future leading the Cowboys athletic department.
Weiberg, an Oklahoma State graduate, has served in his role since 2021, when he replaced longtime athletic director Mike Holder. News of his extension comes a month after Weiberg and the university made the decision to fire legendary Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy on Sept. 23.
The uncertainty about Gundy's job security entering the 2025 football season at one point appeared to be related to Weiberg's future at Oklahoma State. Before Friday, the fifth-year athletic director had been working without a contract since late June. Weiberg also underwent open heart surgery in August to repair a valve problem.
With questions about his status, Weiberg led the charge to fire Gundy three games into the regular season last month and was then put in charge of leading the search for the school's next football coach. Hours after Gundy's departure on September 23, sources told ESPN that Weiberg was expected to sign a multi-year contract extension that would include an increase in his annual salary to $750,000. The deal was formally approved Friday morning during a meeting of the university's board of trustees in Warner, Oklahoma.
“Chad is providing strong and consistent leadership during one of the most transformative periods in the history of college athletics,” Oklahoma State President Jim Hess said in a statement. “He has the ability to take on complex challenges and keep our student-athletes and programs on the cutting edge.”
The completion of Weiberg's contract closes a long saga within the Oklahoma State athletic department and provides stability as the school continues its search to replace Gundy, the winningest football coach in program history. Speaking about the process during an internal interview published on Oct. 16, Weiberg stated that Oklahoma State's goal is to “be in a move-in position” with a hire by the close of the regular season on Nov. 29.
“Partly because of the lead we have in this search, we can cast a pretty wide net no matter how we want to look at it,” Weiberg said. “We have a lot of interest in the job. I felt like we would do it and that's certainly been confirmed. It's a good job and it's being perceived as a good job.”
Led by interim head coach Doug Meacham, the Cowboys have been outscored 174-74 in four straight losses since Gundy's departure. Oklahoma State (1-6) visits No. 14 Texas Tech on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ESPNU) looking for its first win since Week 1.
