There’s very few things more visually satisfying than seeing an elaborate set of dominoes falling meticulously into place. That’s exactly what’s happening in Stillwater, Oklahoma with standout sophomore running back Ollie Gordon.
World’s largest kite made of dominoes! ✨#DailyDominoDistraction✨ pic.twitter.com/GW5Xr7H6IL
— Lily Hevesh (@Hevesh5) November 5, 2020
A perfect marriage of talent, opportunity, and a long history of coaching tendencies, has led to the biggest breakout of the college football season.
The Talent
Ollie Gordon is a former 4⭐️ recruit in the class of 2022. A highly productive player in 6A Texas football, Gordon capped off his high-school career with back-to-back 2,000 yard rushing seasons.
Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon has always been that dude!
As a junior at Euless Trinity (TX) he rushed for 451 yards and 6 TDs in a 49-45 win over Allen to advance to the 6A D1 state quarterfinals. @Ollie_Gordon2 | @IAR2_Football pic.twitter.com/wCh2qxrP3R
— Zack Poff (@Zack_Poff_MP) October 21, 2023
At 6’1″ 212lbs, he has adequate size to handle a full workload at both the college and NFL level. Gordon has also shown that he can be a capable weapon in the passing game, something that should appeal to both fantasy managers, as well as real life talent evaluators.
The Opportunity
As a Freshman, Ollie Gordon got very little playing time, aside from a handful of snaps each week. He did however make the most of those opportunities. Most notably, a 17 carry, 136 yard rushing performance in a late November contest versus West Virginia in 2022.
That performance, along with his recruiting pedigree and level of talent, had people excited for what might come next for Gordon – myself included.
Ollie Gordon-RB-Oklahoma State
Gordon showed flashes of his potential as a runner last season and looks to become the latest in a long line of exceptionally productive OK State RB'S under head coach Mike Gundy. pic.twitter.com/fm8ajScUXv
— Todd Vincent (@Hobart_Whipple) April 7, 2023
Entering 2023, with no returning veterans ahead of him, there was a clear path for Gordon to establish himself as the lead back for OK State.
Although things were a little murky over the first few weeks of the season, Gordon has gained a stranglehold of the Cowboys backfield touches.
Coaching Tendencies
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has held rank with the club since 2005. During that time he has one surefire goal in mind when it comes to the offensive side of things.
Run the ball!
Gundy’s lead backs have averaged 210 rush attempts, 1,118 rush yards, 11 rushing touchdowns and 19 receptions for an additional 154 yards.
But if we look even closer, when Gundy puts his trust solely into one running back, he’s gotten tremendous production from them and hasn’t shied away from giving them all the work they can handle.
Under Gundy, the following players put together some incredible rushing performances:
- 2008 Kendall Hunter 241 attempts, 1,555 yards, 16 touchdowns
- 2010 Kendall Hunter 271 attempts, 1,548 yards, 16 touchdowns
- 2012 Joseph Randle 274 attempts, 1,417 yards, 14 touchdowns
- 2017 Justice Hill 268 attempts, 1,467 yards, 15 touchdowns
- 2019 Cuba Hubbard 328 attempts, 2,094 yards, 21 touchdowns
The Results
Gordon has exploded onto the College Football scene over the last month and a half!
Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon leads the nation in rushing yards and leads the Big 12 in touchdowns.
More importantly, the Cowboys are tied atop the Big 12 standings.
He has a chance to solidify himself has legit Heisman contender on Saturday vs. Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/yeikFw9CQd
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 2, 2023
He’s even managed to put himself in the school record books alongside two of the greatest running backs ever to play the game.
#OKState running back Ollie Gordon doing historic things again. https://t.co/2b8IiQBq9S pic.twitter.com/5gjVWclA2I
— McClain (@McclainBaxley) October 23, 2023
With his size, talent, and situation, there really are no limits on what we can expect to see from one of the fastest rising talents in all of college football.
A rapidly ascending Devy asset, which to some, has seemingly come out of nowhere, Gordon is a prime example of the unpredictability of the format.
Our National Running Back of the Week is once again @ollie_gordon2 of @cowboyfb!
He rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while adding four catches for 21 yards to account for 292 all-purpose yards in Oklahoma State’s 45-13 win over Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/iMTztikeAt— Doak Walker Award (@DoakWalkerAward) October 31, 2023
Now a household name amongst college football fans, and a potential frontrunner for some of footballs most prestigious awards, you can’t help but get excited wondering how the remaining dominoes will fall for Ollie Gordon.
