The Cowboys are back That guy He is set to enter the 2024 college football season as a running back, and Oklahoma State has put some intriguing pieces around him.
This offseason, I've been pondering three questions about each position group at Ohio State: On Wednesday we looked at the Cowboys' QB room, and now we'll take a look at Ollie Gordon's running back room.
1. Can Ollie succeed again?
Gordon, a four-star running back from the DFW area, has been intriguing OSU fans since he decided to turn down an offer from Texas to attend Oklahoma State. That intrigue was piqued when Gordon rushed just 17 times for 136 yards and a touchdown as a freshman against West Virginia. But after the 2023 season, Stillwater's secret was out. Gordon's talent was national knowledge.
Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to winning the Doak Walker Award as a sophomore — and that was after he rushed for just 19 total times in the Cowboys' three non-conference games — and will have a chance to win it again in 2024.
While there are similarities between Gordon returning after a breakout season and Chuba Hubbard doing the same in 2020, there are also differences.
Hubbard had a breakout season in 2019, rushing for 2,094 yards and 21 touchdowns, but his return in 2020 didn't go as planned. Injuries plagued Hubbard that season, as did the offense — and it came in the middle of a pandemic.
Hubbard, known for his speed, didn't have the same physical prowess as Gordon, so Gordon may be better suited to handle the load for a second straight year.
2. What will the carry allocation look like?
That being said, Mike Gundy spoke this spring about the importance of giving Gordon some rest in 2024.
“We have plenty of carries for our other back,” Gundy said. “I'm a little concerned about 30 carries a game for Ollie. Ideally, 20 would be best for him to stay healthy for the rest of his career and for us. He had to carry a lot more of a load last year than we would have liked. We have plenty of carries.”
Arkansas transfer AJ Green was initially expected to take Gordon's place, but Green posted on Instagram that he had some sort of foot injury. That was around the time OSU added Indiana transfer Trent Howland. The team also has Ceci Vailahi, who garnered attention in limited appearances as a true freshman last season. The Cowboys also added Rodney Fields and Jaeden Allen-Hendricks from the 2024 freshman class.
As of now, Howland is the favorite to be Gordon's RB2 to start the season. He rushed for 354 yards and two scores for the Hoosiers last season. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, he'll add some extra thunder to Gordon's already roaring thunder. Once Green is healthy, he'll ignite the lightning.
It's a shame Elijah Collins had to battle injuries last season, as that might have helped paint a clearer picture of expectations this season, but instead we'll have to wait and see how the Cowboys plan to feed their superstar while resting him as much as possible.
Relieving Gordon of that burden leads to my final question.
3. What does the future hold for the room?
If 2024 Ollie Gordon is anything like 2023 Ollie Gordon, it wouldn't be crazy to think he'll make it to the NFL after this season — Fox Sports, for example, has him selected No. 10 in their way-too-early mock draft.
In the transfer portal era, predicting the future of any position group on any team may be a pointless exercise, but I’ll try my best.
Green has just one season of eligibility remaining, but he also has a redshirt due, meaning he could remain in Stillwater into 2025 if an injury keeps him out for an extended period of time.
Howland should have two more seasons of eligibility remaining, meaning he could play this season and return in 2025.
Vailahi is scheduled to play four more seasons after redshirting after playing in three games last season, and Fields and Allen Hendricks are also apparently set to play four seasons (and redshirt).
Gordon's departure will leave a big hole to fill, but as of now, the Cowboys are in a good position to potentially return five scholarship running backs for 2025, even if Gordon leaves for the NFL. That being said, it's hard to say who will be placed where, as Vailahi is the only one to have carried in an OSU uniform at this point, with just six carries as a true freshman.
