Former Doak Walker Award Winner Ollie Gordon III Rated the 7th Best RB in the Big 12 | Big 12

Paul Catalina and Craig Smoak discuss their thoughts on Pro Football Focuses highest graded Running backs in the Big 12, their thoughts on Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon III being the 7th highest rated RB in the Big 12, who is #1, and more.

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last uh segment but the big 12 uh running backs ranked here by Pro Football Focus and look their metrics are different and you can you can like them not like them you know whatever but uh here is the uh graded running backs when it comes to the Big 12 and I would say and this is where uh wet blanket I expect to hear from you shortly uh look where Ally Gordon is in the top 10 I know look how high he is I’m just kidding just want to piss off with blanket yeah he’s at seventh and he was the driving force of the offense and one of the best best players in the Big 12 but Taj Brooks their highest graded running back overall Craig uh how do you feel just as a macro viw before we get into the micro view of this player by player but having Taj Brooks number one and um you know the leading rusher in the Big 12 last year all the way down at seven yeah that’s weird I don’t know they’re precise grading method um I don’t know how the formula works exactly but I think it’s it’s kind of ridiculous to not have the do Walker Award winner as the top running back in the conference coming back I now granted they’re not saying he’s not the best they’re saying that he was graded where he was graded um so yeah I don’t know what all that takes into account that maybe knocked his score in comparison to others I will say this about Oli Gordon though is he’s got a lot more room to be better um I feel like there’s times where he’s got to keep a cooler head right you think about like the Texas game for example and just kind of kind of lost his way a little bit and I think that he needs to you know definitely improve on just sort of blocking out the outside noise I think that’s a fair critique um especially for a player of his caliber U I know there’s just being emotional and that’s part of what makes him great as well is is that is is that emotion and riding with that but I do think that’s a balancing act and I did feel like there was a couple times I watched him last year when things weren’t going well and it’s like he’s not throwing a fit but he’s kind of throwing a fit a Little Bit Of in in couple ways on on the sidelines are embarking at guys um so I I definitely think he’s got room to improve but no I wouldn’t have him as the eighth best running back in the Big 12 uh coming back I yeah I I don’t see that I understand there’s some new additions um there with Arizona in the mix uh and they’re the only one of the new schools that that has somebody on this list but I mean even still um I’m not quite ready to to put him all the way down at eight but there’s some really good players on here I I mean I don’t know if I’d have him behind DJ giddens at this point but DJ giddens is going to probably be really really good and he’s very solid and so and he’ll be in a time share as well he’ll what d DJ giddens with Dylan Edwards oh yeah I was like what you talking time share you threw me for a second no yeah with Dylan Edwards but um I think he’s a really good back um Devon Neil I think with uh well we don’t have to go through all these I think olly Gordon’s too low just on the dude won the do Walker Award last year he should not be the eighth best returning running back in the Big 12 I’ll say that yeah but Taj Brooks’s at number one I can actually see that because he’s as solid as it gets I mean the dude is I mean strong and quick and Shifty and he’s got a lot of tools that you love him coming back for Texas Tech I think doesn’t completely change their trajectory but it does alter it in a very big way like I mean knowing that you have that bcal coming back uh put you much farther ahead than if you were having to replace Taj Brooks no matter no matter how well you’ve recruited so when he decided to come back at first I was like what and then you started looking at the NFL and just the running back position and I’m sure he’s making first of all he’s got a much sure thing at Texas Tech like he knows he’s gonna make the team he knows he’s going to be the starter and he knows he’s going to make probably pretty daggum good money I would think with their Collective as well um so yeah I don’t have a problem with him at number one uh at all no uh nor do nor do I I I uh I really like Jos Brooks I did the top five the other day about top five players you know who didn’t leave their school and he was on the list um you know the running back uh I I even you know I I put him over oi Gordon for a lot of the same reasons that that you said okay um yeah I mean so yeah I I did I I like I like Taj Brooks a lot he can do a lot of things he’s very versatile uh and especially when you’re talking about Pro Football Focus you know these grades are also them projecting guys out to what their NFL you know like Nu to it yeah there is and they’re different than everybody else like sometimes I’ll see things like they had a a stat on ba like the best offensive lines and like Baylor’s graded out really well and I was like uh I this list bundle it up and toss it into the sun yeah I was like whoever whoever did this was like whoa these guys are killing it um I don’t think they were watching Baylor like yeah there somebody else in green jerseys and they thought that is Far and Away the biggest concern of the entire team entering this season as their offensive line yes and and it was their worst probably man there’s a lot of bad lash we don’t need to delve into all that but I mean it was it was right there at the bottom of of their you know their biggest issues yeah at top of their biggest issues yeah um I know Penny Boon had a lot of yards and he was very sought after and he’s probably going to be really good in that offense especially with RJ Harvey there but I would not have Devon Neil below him at all I would not have Ali Gordon or DJ giddens below him and I probably wouldn’t have Abu Sama below him either but again this is not my list and um Jem white at West Virginia love him yeah he’s great and that’s like CJ donalson not even on this list yeah one the ones I was thinking of like where’s his name yeah CJ Don health I guess not on the list and uh so but now you see there’s you know both UCF running backs are on there very easily both Kansas running backs could be on here now granted Dylan Edwards most of his big plays were not rushing the ball last year me K yeah k sorry Dylan Edwards most of his big plays weren’t rushing the ball it was catching flare passes from shadur Sanders and turning them into big plays but with Avery Johnson and those like that three-headed monster in in in Orlando and in Manhattan with the running quarterback and two running backs I think it’s going to be really really interesting and fun to watch no I think that’s going to be a really uh electric backfield Avery Johnson I’m so excited to see more of him like we saw a lot but we didn’t we still felt like we’re kind of scraping the surface because he’s so young yeah we got the pop tart Bowl was kind of our like all right here you go you’re like oh geez what can he turn into um but yeah with the the duo backs that he has they ought to be uh pretty nasty and that’s why there’s such high expectations for Kansas State uh in part at least uh but I’ll tell you okay so K States backfield granted very electric very good uh UCF backfield with all the changes they made uh they’re going to be very good I I would expect with with KJ Jefferson rolling in as well as Penny Boone West Virginia puts some damn respect on their name brother they got Jahim white they got CJ Donaldson they got Garrett green at quarterback like you want to talk about they’re GNA be able to run the football I mean I granted I know they’re o line there’s some turnover there but West Virginia seems like one of those where they were much better than expected at least from the outside looking in last year and even from the inside looking in in some cases CU I know there’s West Virginia fans that still are pissed at Neil Brown’s there even with the progress made last season they’re still not buying into it and maybe they’re right in the long run who knows but they did have a nice year overall and I think um Garrett green should only be better and I think having you know CJ Donaldson if he can stay healthy and then Jem white like that’s that’s a pretty dang good unit as well that should be right up there uh in the in the discussion when talking about uh you know running back fields and explosive backfields in the Big 12 so yeah I like that there’s some Jem white love there uh even though maybe he’s not as well known as uh Taj Brooks or or an olly Gordon yeah absolutely but yeah they um yeah you could there are let’s see there’s a lot of teams not represented on this list Arizona State’s not on the list Baylor’s not on the list Arizona State might have something to say like if they’ve got something they probably have a running back like that’s the thing well they’ve got uh scabo and they’ve got um and then they’ve got the the uh Tim M CasCal now as well yes MCO I trying to think yeah so man I’m telling you like well now he didn’t ultimate Casco wouldn’t have made the list because he didn’t have 150 snaps last year but but as far as like a a Duo that could be pretty dang good like scatterable and mascal could actually be like pretty freaking salty honest you know I don’t I need to look more into their offensive line and just the pieces around them but that’s that’s an area where if you’re trying to look at strengths for the Sun Devils potentially that’s that’s one place that you would look yeah Colorado’s not uh on the list Houston’s not on the list uh clearly um no Baylor which I I want to say this I did like a grading thing on them the other day like it was a it was a basically my confidence levels on a 1 to 10 scale and 10’s basically like I’m expecting the room or somebody in that room to be like in the running for the do Walker Award basically or together collectively they are like the best rushing unit in the entire country that would Garner you a 10 right a one means that you are bottom of you are the worst in the in the country as a unit um and then five would just be like sort of uh sort of average and um why am I explaining this what were you just saying sorry oh the who’s not on the list but yeah okay so Baylor collectively I don’t think that they have a guy individually that is going to be very good as far as like a star but I think as a grouping I think they’ve got enough Talent there to win games and to be okay to pretty good but they have the whole issue of the offensive line that’s block for them that prevents me from taking that any further but I do as a group I think that they’ve got what they need but yeah certainly not a surprise to see them left off although I think they could be better than expected at running back uh just not not any star power there though for sure no tcu’s got to replace a Moni Bailey so they’re not on the list which if you’re looking at the returning players from last year him and Jonathan Brooks are like the two that jump out right away Gavin sawchuck at Oklahoma too like as far as like the top top running backs of like the top 15 or 20 in The League last year those are those are three of the guys so yeah that’s the ammani Bailey one that’s a that’s a blow to TCU yeah BYU Utah and uh are not on the list as well and Houston like I said before so um they did make the list B Baylor will be interesting though to see if if their offensive line jails at all they’ve got some guys who are talented yeah and and might be able to make some waves and as a matter of fact that would be the position I’d have the least amount of worry about on the offense overall as far as ability to be consistent in what you can do yeah the other one um like I put like maybe one day if we get bored we can like do that but you know like the quarterback situation it and it wasn’t about like it’s just the confidence in the group can do what they need to do when they are called upon it’s not like I’m going to vote the running backs low because the offensive line is bad that’s not what I was trying to do it’s like what are they just is individually and yeah I think on the offensive side I think if dcoin Finn turns into the star that you hope you paid for then yeah maybe he would get the edge tight ends I know other people are lower on them I am but I just think as a group and Jake Fab’s offense I don’t think you’re asking them to like you don’t you don’t need Kyle pittz be great to have him but you don’t need that guy so yeah running back probably is to your point probably the the sturdiest group that they have on their on their offense right now with Dominic Richardson Dawson Pendergrass Richard Reese like they they’ve got three guys who can do different things so uh and in the offense it’s going to be good BYU um the running backs on their depth chart LJ Martin uh Miles Davis uh and hinley rotti I like LJ Martin he just got hurt so much yeah yeah he did so if he can stay healthy uh and then Houston at running back and that’s been that’s been kind of their they were not good last year at all R the football Parker Jenkins Stacy sne Tony matthys Jr uh ran Sanford and jaryan Bernett who uh who’s a true freshman uh so those are the guys are going to try to get that going uh for Willie Fritz definitely not deserving of being on the list yeah they didn’t have anybody BYU didn’t have anybody although again I like LJ Martin but he’s just got to stay healthy um he’s a Texas guy so rooting for him to do well but um I do think he’s got some skills he just it’s uh best ability best abilities availability yeah absolutely uh and TCU we heard Sunny Dykes Rave about cam cook uh last week and thinks he’s going to be really good Trey Sanders of course the transfer that’s there um you know is is part of that that running back room as well so I wanted to give those teams you know just some some sunlight on this uh and of course look Cincinnati uh who I don’t think anybody has high hopes for this year but Cory ker Cory good back he is a really good back and on this list and they lost like they lost one uh this year as well um uh to the draft so they they’ve they’ve got some good players you know some good Playmakers there but they they’ve got to start putting some stuff together yeah I mean there’s a there’s a a lot of question marks for them I think that’s fair to say and it was a rough year in the Big 12 definitely could have been better let some games the Baylor game jumps out immediately is a game they let get away and maybe you view the season differently if just a couple things fall um fall the other direction but yeah I think it’s good to see Cory Connor’s name on there he’s deserving um and I think just in general uh yeah Cincinnati’s got got plenty of questions but I don’t think running backs really where you start by any means uh and in general I think they about covered it um you know you could maybe have a different list if it was groups and you can definitely argue over the order I I mean I’m sure you could argue for hours with Big 12 fans over who belongs where but I I think for the most part Ole Gordon’s a bit low but my general takeaway is that it’s a really good year for the running backs in this conference uh if their lines are able to stay healthy and block for him I think we’ll see a lot of good rushing attacks uh to have to contend with on a weekly basis which I’m looking forward to and uh really I guess olly Gordon will will be kind of the the lead guy that people are chasing some ways but I mean so will Tosh Brooks and so will you know jeim white potentially and Devon Neil certainly and yeah that’s that’s going to be a really good League uh a group for the league well I’ll just tell you