Hubbard's return a big win for OSU

Chuba Hubbard announced his return to Oklahoma State with a slick video. There were highlights, voiceovers, music and of course, the answer to the will-he-or-won't-he question at the very end. RETURNING. IN. 2020. But there weren't any other answers on the video posted to Twitter late Monday afternoon, leaving one big one hanging in the air.

Why?

We may not get answers to that until the Cowboys have spring football and Hubbard is made available for interviews. Was his draft grade from the NFL not good enough to convince him to leave college early? Was his age – he won't turn 21 until June – a factor? Or his family? Or his degree?

But here's something we do know: Mike Gundy's program was a factor.

A positive one. Hubbard's decision to return is a testament to what is happening in Stillwater, and I'm not just talking about the talent on the field. Sure, the return of standout wide receiver Tylan Wallace and the promise of up-andcoming quarterback Spencer Sanders was likely an incentive for Hubbard. Ditto for the return of all but two rotational players on a defense that started growing teeth and claws this past season.

These Cowboys have great promise, championship potential even.

But you can't control wins and losses.

Not even someone as supremely talented as Hubbard can do that.

What can be more controlled is the kind of atmosphere surrounding the program. The vibe in the locker room. The relationship between players and coaches. The expectations for everyone.

Gundy has worked hard for years to develop all of that. He calls it The Cowboy Culture, and while it's a bit ethereal – you can define it but not quantify it – it isn't a bunch of touchy-feely mumbo jumbo either.

Otherwise, Hubbard might well have announced a different decision Monday.

Whatever his why for shunning the NFL and returning to OSU, the idea of being in the program for another year didn't make him run to the NFL.

If things were toxic or even just a little bit sour, Hubbard might have decided to leave. Sure, there are plenty of bad situations in the NFL, but at least he'd have been paid for his troubles there.

I'm not suggesting everything is hunky dory in Stillwater; more than half a dozen Cowboys have entered the transfer portal since the start of this last season after a similar exodus two seasons ago. Even though players coming and going has become more common in college football, you wouldn't see so many guys getting out if OSU was a football player's Valhalla.

I'm also not suggesting players leaving other programs for the NFL is a sign of trouble. These decisions are so multilayered that it's rare for any one thing to push a player to the pros.

But one thing that didn't sway Hubbard was the notion of being at OSU another year. He wanted to be a Cowboy. He chose the program again, not this time as a high school recruit on the outside looking in but as a knowledgeable insider who has seen the good and the bad of the program.

That's a big victory for Gundy and OSU.

And here you thought Hubbard coming back couldn't get any better for the Cowboys.