OSU Football Superstar Listed as Dark-Horse Heisman Candidate
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are primed for a big 2024 college football campaign, and a large part of that is due to Ollie Gordon's return. The Cowboys are going to have an offensive identity right away to kick off the season, something that didn't happen in the 2023 season.
With the offensive set to be built around the superstar running back, Gordon is listed as a dark-horse Heisman candidate for the next college football season by Brad Crawford of 247Sports.
Gordon has 150/1 odds to win the award, according to FanDuel.
"The disrespect is real for the reigning Doak Walker winner, which is a more or less an indictment on the likelihood a running back ever wins another Heisman," Crawford wrote. "...We're surprised a player of Gordon's caliber has odds this high entering the 2024 season."
Last season, Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns with 285 carries. He also added 330 receiving yards and a touchdown on 39 receptions, helping him surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards on the season.
The big season from Gordon led to him winning the Doak Walker award -- solidifying him as the best running back a season ago -- and finishing No. 7 in the Heisman voting.
Heading into next season, it's hard to imagine Gordon doesn't improve even more. He'll have another offseason of improvement under Oklahoma State's system while getting plenty of reps early in the season.
Last season, Gordon posted those numbers and finished with the premier college football running back award while seeing limited action in the first three games. Next season, the Cowboys won't be allowed to make that mistake as Gordon has established himself as the best player at his position across the nation.
In the new Big 12 -- which excludes Texas and Oklahoma -- Gordon is arguably the best player in the conference. He'll be the focal point of the Cowboys program and will lead the program to whatever they end up doing on the season.
As Crawford mentioned, though, who knows when -- or even if -- another running back will win the Heisman Trophy, as it seems the award is a quarterback-exclusive award anymore.
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