ESPN Analyst Speculates on Ollie Gordon: ‘That May be his Last Play at Oklahoma State’
Amidst a blowout loss to West Virginia on Saturday, things went from bad to worse for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Down 31-7 in the third quarter, star running back Ollie Gordon came up hurt, promptly exiting the game. At that point, Gordon had just 50 yards on 13 carries on the day.
After amassing over 2,000 all purpose yards en route to several awards just last year, the speculation is already beginning on Gordon’s next move, starting with the ESPN broadcasters just minutes after his exit from the game.
“I think for me, if I’m Ollie Gordon, I’m putting myself in his shoes, this is not him, this is me. I’ve probably played my last play at Oklahoma State,” former linebacker turned ESPN broadcaster Kirk Morrison said. “His ultimate goal is to get to the National Football League, he’s won a DOAK Walker, he’s won the Oftensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 last year. He wants to be in the National Football League, right now, my health is my concern. I gotta look out for Ollie, and that may be his last play at Oklahoma State.”
Morrison later stated he was less talking about the injury specifically more than the threat of injury ahead of Gordon’s soon-to-be NFL career.
“You look at this list of running backs on Mel Kiper’s board, to me, Ollie Gordon is a top-five back.” Morrison said.
There’s certainly merit to the broadcaster’s statement. Year after year, athletes prioritize their health and future over short-term wins. Especially as OSU is careening towards its third straight loss, two of which the team has suffered at home.
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Derek is co-founder of All Pokes and publisher for Draft Digest and Inside The Thunder for Fan Nation, powered by Sports Illustrated. He has been a sports writer in the Oklahoma market for five years now covering a variety of sports over the course of his career.