Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II is the winner of the 2023 Doak Walker National Collegiate Running Back Award, it was announced live on ESPN.
He also received first team honors on the 2023 Walter Camp All-America team, which is the first to be announced of the five All-America teams officially recognized by the NCAA.
Gordon is the first Doak Walker Award winner from Oklahoma State and just the fourth sophomore to win the award, joining Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin, 2018), LaMichael James (Oregon, 2010) and Darren McFadden (Arkansas, 2006). He joined Chuba Hubbard (2019) and Kendall Hunter (2010) as Oklahoma State's third finalist for the honor and beat out fellow finalists Omarion Hampton of North Carolina and Cody Schrader of Missouri for this year's award.
A three-time Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week who has already been named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors, Gordon leads the FBS in several major categories including rushing yards (1,614), yards from scrimmage (1,940), 100-yard rushing games (8), 150-yard rushing games (5), 250-yard rushing games and carries of at least 30 yards (14), 40 yards (7) and 70 yards (2). He is second in rushing touchdowns (20), total touchdowns (21) and all-purpose yards (1,940).
His performances against Kansas, West Virginia and Cincinnati made him the only FBS player in the past 10 years with 250 scrimmage yards in three straight games, and his 282 rushing yards at West Virginia are the most for any FBS player in a game this season.
Gordon also put together a streak of six straight games with more than 120 yards rushing and two straight games with more than 270 yards rushing. His games against WVU and Cincinnati marked the most rushing yards for an OSU player in a two-game span (553) since Heisman-winner Barry Sanders posted 625 yards against Iowa and Texas Tech in 1988.
He followed that with another impressive performance in a Bedlam win over No. 9 Oklahoma, producing 156 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
To close the regular season, he rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns in a comeback win at Houston and then put up 166 yards and a school-record matching five rushing touchdowns against BYU to help send the Cowboys to the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship. The only other Cowboy to score five rushing touchdowns in a game is Barry Sanders, and that ties the single-game high for any FBS player in 2023.
The prestigious Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to honor the nation's most outstanding collegiate running back. Named for the 1948 Heisman Trophy winner and three-time All-America selection from SMU, the Doak Walker Award recognizes a football player's outstanding performance on the field, as well as his achievements in the community and in the classroom.
The formal presentation of the award will take place on the SMU campus at the annual banquet scheduled for February 16, 2024.
Gordon and the Cowboys return to action Wednesday, December 27, facing Texas A&M on ESPN in the TaxAct Texas Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium in Houston.
