TEXAS — Ollie Gordon II is a hard-nosed, old-school running back who is now pushing for an NFL roster spot after a standout college career that mixed big highs and tough lows.
Gordon built his reputation at Euless Trinity High School and carried that physical style to Oklahoma State. “I’ll run through you. Make you get out of the way instead of me moving,” he said.
Beyond his running style, he stresses the balance of personality and intensity. “That I’m a nice, friendly person,” Gordon said. “I’m really sweet to everybody, but when I’m in that football mode, it’s time to be in that mode.” Teams at the draft process are weighing both his on-field traits and what he brings to a locker room.
He enjoyed a breakout season in 2023. But 2024 did not go as planned. He produced less on the field and faced a DUI arrest off it. “You can’t harp on it. Just got to take it one day at a time,” said Gordon’s mother, Taronna Smith. “Everything’s not going to always be a win. You got to take the good with the bad, the win with the losses.”
Smith said she has watched her son recover from last year’s problems and push forward. “Because most of the time, when things don’t go your way, you tend to give up and not want to do it. And he’s persevered through all of that,” Smith said.
She raised him as a single mother and made sacrifices to support his path. “Some days she had to skip work to take me to school, or even walk me to school,” Gordon said. “As a kid, she put it all on the line for me. And for her to be able to watch her hard work pay off, I feel like that’s huge.”
Now Gordon is close to a moment that could change both their lives: the NFL draft. He imagines his mother’s reaction when his name is called. “I know she’s gonna hug me and start crying,” said Gordon about his potential draft moment. “She might be crying for no reason before I hear my name called.”
Smith shares that anticipation. “There’s so much we talked about, what’s going to happen,” Smith said. “Once he gets that call, it’s, oh, I’m tearing up. It’s just, we did it.” The draft will test how teams view his talent, temperament and resilience as he moves from college to the pros.
