Mike Gundy To Become Head Coach at Arkansas, Tennessee, and Arkansas State, Simultaneously

Fayetteville, AR, Jonesboro, AR, and Knoxville, TN - Today, athletic directors at two Southeastern Conference universities, the University of Arkansas and the University of Tennessee, named a new head coach for their football programs, former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. Additionally, it was announced by Arkansas State University officials that Gundy has also accepted an offer to fill the vacancy at the Sun Belt Conference school.

When asked at a press conference about the inherent conflict of interest and logistical problems of coaching three college football teams simultaneously, Gundy was confident about his abilities to not only lead three teams in the same season, but be successful with three teams in the same season.

"It'll be hard, sure, but anything worth doing I think is. You just have to have the right mentality to get the job done. I enter into this with the goal of being the first person to coach two teams in a national championship game in the same year. It's never been done before. And I know there's gonna be challenges. I mean, it'll be tough when the Razorbacks and the Volunteers play each other on odd years, but I imagine I'll just switch sidelines with the offense. Change shirts and visors. I don't know, all that is something that Jeff (Arkansas AD Jeff Long) and I and Dave (Tennessee AD Dave Hart) and I will have to discuss. Separately, of course. Then, I see the Arkansas State job as being more of, like, a hobby. Maybe I'll get Gavin, Gunner, and Gage involved."

Asked if he was worried about the pressures of having three FBS coaching jobs in two different states all at the same time, Gundy seemed unconcerned.

"Oh, I know there will be pressure. Getting to all of my team's games around the southeast on Saturdays, especially if the three games are all at the same time, is going to be tough. Fortunately with my combined salaries I am able to buy a decommissioned F-14 and hire a pilot to shuttle me between stadiums. If the games are at the same time, I may have to watch my other teams on monitors or something. But all of my teams will always have my full focus. Arkansas State might get less focus. Obviously, these SEC teams I'm coaching are gonna be priorities."

Gundy ended the press conference by saying that he had enjoyed his time coaching at his alma mater Oklahoma State, but the lure of being the coach of three different sport teams at once was too strong.

"I love OSU. It was my New York Yankees job. But now it's like I get to be the coach of the L.A. Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Houston Astros, all at the same time! Now, I can truly say that I am the luckiest coach alive."