Does Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II have a real shot at the Heisman?

Ollie Gordon II is a name to be familiar with ahead of the 2024 season. After emerging as a star last year, Gordon is poised to run with the torch and surpass his prior accomplishments. 

Following a massive 2023 campaign, Ollie Gordon II had his sights set higher. The Oklahoma State running back has been viewed as a real candidate for the highest honor in college sports, the Heisman Trophy.

Although it is not typical for a running back to take this award, it certainly has been accomplished. Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Archie Griffin, and Reggie Bush are a few running backs who hold their names to this honor.

However, 43 total running backs have won the Heisman; most recently, Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015. 

When comparing these names side-by-side, you can see the standard set from Heisman-winning running backs. We are talking about NFL Hall of Famers with implausible statistics across their college careers. 

Holding Gordon to this level, it’s certainly a tall order. Not only is Ollie Gordon competing amongst the rest of America's best running backs, but the quarterback position group as a whole.

It should be no surprise that the Heisman Trophy is a quarterback’s award. The way things currently line up, the first 18 of 20 favorites to win this award are quarterbacks. So what exactly would Gordon have to do to have a chance at this award? 

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel are tied for the best odds to win the Heisman at +800.  This led to an overwhelming pool of quarterbacks that followed, ending with Florida State’s D.J. Uiagalelei at +4000 odds. 

Gordon is tied for the 6th best non-quarterback odds to win the Heisman at +12000. He is tied with TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Stewart, Emeka Egbuka, and CJ Baxter. 

Donovan Edwards, Luther Burden III, Trevor Etienne, Quinshon Judkins, and Travis Hunter are the only players with better odds. 

This list of names is pretty solid, and in comparison to the quarterbacks, this makes Gordon’s mountain just as big. With +12000 odds, this achievement is improbable, but Ollie Gordon is proven for what he can do, and notably one of the top running backs in the game. 

Taking a look at Ollie Gordon’s accolades, you can say that he certainly is a decorated athlete for his short-term success at Oklahoma State. In his sophomore season, Gordon won the highest honor for all running backs by winning the Doak Walker Award.

In addition to this, Gordon was a unanimous All-American, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award winner, and the BIG-12 Player of the Year. 

As the focal point of the Cowboy’s offense last season, Gordon led OSU to a 10-4 record. After a slow start, Oklahoma State finished strong to make an appearance in the BIG-12 Championship game.

The Cowboys fell to the Texas Longhorns, 49-21, but would go on to beat Texas A&M 31-23, in the Texas Bowl. 

Gordon led the nation in rushing yards compiling 1,732 yards for 21 rushing touchdowns. Furthermore, Gordon had nine 100-yard games, two 250-yard games, 1,056 yards after contact, and 2,062 all-purpose yards.

By these stats, you would think any running back has a decent shot at being nationally recognized. Effectively, that is what Gordon gained out of last season. He did everything you would expect out of a Heisman running back.

From the winning record to the rushing yards and touchdowns, Gordon checked every necessary box. 

The issue in discussing Heisman candidates is the massive attention drawn to the quarterbacks. Last season’s Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, was the center of all attention regarding Heisman talk. And rightfully so, considering the year he had.

However, the last time we saw a non-quarterback even on the Heisman podium was Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson in 2021. The last time an offensive player who is not a quarterback won this award was in 2020 with Alabama’s DeVonta Smith.

Ultimately, Ollie Gordon is a consensus top running back in the nation. With the attention more directed his way, he very likely can be a Heisman finalist or award winner.

If Gordon can somehow display an even better season in 2024, we very well might see another running back Heisman winner. 

Read more: