STILLWATER, Okla. — Robert Gillespie went to college and played for Steve Spurrier. When he went to the NFL, Spurrier was there, too. And when it became time to start his coaching career, he ended up with the ol' ball coach again.

For a dozen years, the two were practically inseparable. But now, Gillespie is venturing out on his own for a chance to further his career at Oklahoma State.

Gillespie was hired to Mike Gundy's offensive staff last week to replace running backs coach Curtis Luper, who took an opening at Auburn along with co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Trooper Taylor. He had been the running backs coach at South Carolina for the past three seasons under Spurrier in their third different stop together.

Gillespie played running back at Florida from 1998 to 2001 and then followed Spurrier to the Washington Redskins for two seasons. He then spent one year in NFL Europe, his first time away from Spurrier since high school, before joining the Gamecocks' coaching staff in 2005.

"I've been fortunate to play for a legend and also coach with one," Gillespie said. "I knew it always had to be the right situation for me to leave coach Spurrier, and coach Gundy is that kind of guy — just enthusiasm and passion and the type of offense that he runs is kind of similar to the things and the creative mind-set that coach Spurrier had.

"Meeting coach Gundy, speaking to him, the values that he had was something that I wanted to be a part of."

After what he called "a long journey with coach Spurrier," Gillespie was ready to branch out and add another line to his resume.

"That's what this is about. The coaching profession is something where you have to go and meet people and learn a new offense, and those things help you grow as a coach," Gillespie said. "There's no doubt that the things that coach Gundy and Oklahoma State have been doing for the past four or five years are putting them on a stage where they're a national contender right now."

Gillespie, who grew up around SEC football, said he was intrigued by the Big 12's offensive explosion this year and jumped at the chance to coach with Gundy, who he considers one of the conference's offensive "masterminds."

"The Big 12 was on fire this year offensively, so as an offensive coach, you definitely try to watch and figure out ways you can get better," Gillespie said.

Gillespie steps into a strong position. The Cowboys led the Big 12 with a 245.5-yard rushing average last season, and starter Kendall Hunter ranked seventh in the nation with just under 120 yards per game. Oklahoma State also was among the country's top 10 in scoring, total offense and rushing.

In his first week and a half in Stillwater, Gillespie said he organized one-on-one meetings with each of his running backs to listen to their goals and provide some direction on what he expects from them. Among his core tenets is that he expects his players to compete every day and earn their playing time in practice.

"I'll be the first to say I come into a talented backfield. Those guys work well together, and they're a hungry bunch of kids," he said.

In Hunter, Gillespie will be mentoring an All-America candidate next season. Among players who'll be returning to college next season, only two had more rushing yards than Hunter's 1,555 — Ball State's MiQuale Lewis (1,736) and California's Jahvid Best (1,580).

"He's a phenomenal player. As a former running back myself, I'm a fan of college football, so I sit back and watch those guys. I've had an opportunity to watch him play several times," Gillespie said.

"I spoke with him the other day on some things that I liked about his game, and also some things that he and I thought he could improve on. He's a great kid and I think he's ready for the challenge of getting better this spring and also pushing his teammates to get better."

The Cowboys, who also added defensive coordinator Bill Young to their staff and promoted director of football operations Robert Matthews into an assistant coach's role this month, have some final recruiting responsibilities before signing day Feb. 4 and will then turn their focus to the start of spring practice in early March.

That'll be when Gillespie really spreads his wings.

"The things I've learned from coach Spurrier are going to help me and have led me to have the opportunity to come to Oklahoma State," he said.

"We're going to always have a relationship and I'm going to always continue to grow as a coach from the foundation that coach Spurrier instilled in me as a player and as a coach."