MORGANTOWN, WV – FEBRUARY 04: Brad Underwood of Oklahoma State Cowboys yells at the referee against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on February 4, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

What a bummer for Oklahoma State fans.  On Saturday afternoon, literally the day after the Cowboys lost to Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end their season, head coach Brad Underwood, who was just hired by OSU a year earlier, left Stillwater to become the new head coach at the University of Illinois. The news was shocking and unexpected by most as it is rare to see a coach leave a new coaching job to take a seemingly lateral position right after a successful first season.  But here we are.  The reason for Underwood’s departure appears to be related to money…

The crazy thing about all this, is that not even 24 hours earlier, people were abuzz with positivity about the future for the Oklahoma State program with Underwood in charge….

And how about the fans. Here are a few Friday tweets from Oklahoma State fans expressing excitement about what is to come for the Cowboys under coach Underwood…

So much for optimism. Guess it’s back to the drawing board for Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder.

About Fred Segal

Fred Segal, 35, grew up in the Miami, Florida area and currently lives in Coral Springs, Florida, with his wife and two children. He is currently an attorney practicing in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the law firm Broad and Cassel. Fred is a graduate of the University of Florida and is a rabid, borderline unhealthy, supporter of the Florida Gators.