Ollie Gordon One of Three Finalists for Doak Walker Award

Ollie Gordon is one step closer to being Oklahoma State’s first Doak Walker Award winner.

The Cowboys’ sophomore running back, Gordon — the nation’s leading rusher — is one of three finalists for the award given the college football’s best running back. He joins North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Missouri’s Cody Schrader.

Statistically, Gordon has the edge over his competition in seemingly every category — more yards, more yards per carry, more touchdowns. Gordon will also be the only finalist to play in a conference championship game this weekend, leading his Pokes to a 9-3 record for a date with Texas in Arlington. North Carolina is 8-4 this season, while Schrader led Missouri to 10-2, but the Tigers didn’t make the SEC title game.

Gordon has 42 runs of more than 10 yards this season, which is second in the country behind Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll. Schrader has 36 of those runs, and Hampton has 34. Gordon’s 282-yard performance against West Virginia and his 271-yard performance against Cincinnati are more yards in a game than either other finalist has put up. Schrader’s best game was a 217-yard outing against Arkansas, while Hampton’s was a 234-yard day against Appalachian State.

Chuba Hubbard was the last OSU running back to be a Doak Walker finalist, doing so in 2019. Hubbard was a finalist alongside Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins. Despite being the nation’s leading rusher that year, Hubbard didn’t take home the hardware, as it went to Taylor for the second straight season.

The award started being handed out in 1990. Texas’ Bijan Robinson earned the Doak Walker last season. Other big names to win the award over the years are Derrick Henry (2015), Darren McFadden (2006, 2007), Reggie Bush (2005), LaDainian Tomlinson (2000), Ricky Williams (1997, 1998) and Eddie George (1995).

The 2023 Doak Walker Award winner will be announced at ESPN’s college football awards show Dec. 8. The formal presentation of the award will take place on the SMU campus at the annual banquet scheduled for Feb. 16.