Acclaimed Oklahoma State Cowboys Running Back Ollie Gordon Makes Unconventional Christmas Eve Announcement Regarding 2024 Return

Oklahoma State Cowboys star running back Ollie Gordon posted an unusual announcement on social media stating that he would be back with Mike Gundy’s squad in 2024.

Gordon posted a video that included the Cowboys’ mascot Pistol Pete. The video also featured Oklahoma State President Kasey Shrum. The video is reminiscent of the classic ESPN “This is Sportscenter” commercials, and also calls attention to the statue of Barry Sanders that sits outside of Boone Pickens Stadium.

Let’s do it 🫶🏽🤠 pic.twitter.com/jh3UygF5hf

— Ollie Gordon (@Ollie_Gordon2) December 24, 2023

While Gordon’s numbers speak for themselves, many opposing coaches praised Gordon throughout the season. In an article form PistolsFiringBlog, one notable comment about Gordon came from in-state rival Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables.

“Ollie Gordon has just been fantastic. He’s got power. He’s got speed. He’s patient. He’s got great quickness — lateral quickness. Man, he’s explosive. He can run right through you and can run right by you.

“Ollie, he’s just so powerful. He’s got a nice spin move and does a good job in pass protection. He mows down a lot of people in pass pro, as well. His patience for a big guy is something that’s a little different. He’s not just power. He’s got speed. In the hole, he can make you miss. He makes a lot of people miss. He breaks a lot of tackles, but he makes a lot of people miss — just excellent feet.”

Gordon’s stats on the ground are on thing, but his pass-protection ability is what makes him a running back that could succeed at the next level. It doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but there are quite a few less-talented RBs that carved out an NFL career sheerly based on their pass protection.

Oklahoma State Cowboys RB Ollie Gordon had a breakout year in 2023, and will be competing for a Heisman Trophy in 2024

Gordon did not start in the first three games of the season, and did not eclipse more than 10 carries in any of those games. Despite not getting a heavy workload until a quarter of the way through the season, Gordon still led the nation in rushing yards with 1,614.

With only 19 carries through Oklahoma State’s first three games, Gordon also ranked second nationally in rushing touchdowns with 20. 25% of those touchdowns came in the last game of the regular season against the BYU Cougars. Gordon’s accolades include:

• Unanimous All-American
• Big 12 Player of the Year
• Doak Walker Award Winner (given to best running back in the country)
• Most Heisman votes for a running back
• First-team All-Big 12

On top of all of his personal accolades, Gordon was also the main contributor on a team that made it to the Big 12 Championship. After a 33-7 loss to the South Alabama Jaguars in a game where Gordon only had three carries, it seemed as if the Cowboys were going to have a hard time making a bowl game. This feeling only worsened after a loss to the Iowa State Cyclones the following week, which put Oklahoma State at 2-2.

After a 121 yard performance against Iowa State, Gordon only had less than 135 yards on the ground one other time in the regular season. He had two straight games with over 250 yards, his best of which was against the West Virginia Mountaineers in a game that saw him amass four touchdowns on 282 yards rushing.

Gordon’s 282 yard performance is only behind Barry Sanders (five times), Chubba Hubbard, Thurman Thomas and David Thompson for most single-game rushing yards in Oklahoma State History. There has never been a game in which Gordon got 15 or more carries and didn’t eclipse the 100-yard mark.

Oklahoma State Cowboys RB Ollie Gordon wasn’t eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, but could’ve went to a national title contender

Nearly 3,000 players entered the transfer portal thus far. In 2023, 20.5% of FBS rosters were made up of transfers, which is up from 6.4% in 2019.

Gordon’s 10-win Oklahoma State Cowboys team is by no means a bottom-feeder, but Gordon is certainly good enough to have a starting role on a team that will be competing for a national title.

While head coach Mike Gundy’s Cowboys won 10 games this season and went to the conference championship, a couple of inexplicable losses make it seem as if they are far from being a national title contender.

The 33-7 loss to South Alabama came without Gordon, but Gordon did have 12 carries in their 45-3 loss to the UCF Golden Knights. While the UCF loss can be explained by a hangover after the Cowboys beat Oklahoma in the last Bedlam game for the foreseeable future, giving up nearly 600 yards of offense to a 6-7 UCF team is not national title contender material.

Gordon is a Texas native, and had an offer from the Texas Longhorns coming out of high school. Gordon also had an offer from the Michigan Wolverines. Both of those teams are currently in the College Football Playoff.

A lot of transfer players are in the portal because they want to get playing time, yet there are players like ex-Florida Gator Trevor Etienne who were essentially guaranteed a starting position in 2024. Etienne transferred to Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs for a chance to compete for a national title.

Gordon was always going to be a top RB in the draft, but his decision to stay with Oklahoma State and compete displays character that will be fondly looked upon by potential NFL landing spots.

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