Ollie Gordon is one of the most talked about players ahead of the Big 12 Championship game.

While the Oklahoma State running back has been a standout this year, his abilities were well-known long before his day as a Cowboy. Before Gordon made plays in orange and black, he dazzled high school crowds in red and black and Euless Trinity High School outside of Fort Worth.

“The thing about Ollie is he’s really smart. He understands what everybody’s doing on the field from receivers to tailback to quarterback, so we could move him around a ton,” said Rodney Barthelemess, offensive coordinator at Trinity Euless.

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Barthelemess was his offensive coordinator at Euless Trinity. As talented as Gordon was, his high school OC said he was also a team player.

“He’s a team guy. He always encourages linemen, quarterbacks, receivers, players around him, and that’s what special kids do, right? They make other players better,” Barthelemess said.

Talent and selflessness are nothing without a work ethic, something Gordon demonstrated he had at a young age.

“Never missed summer workouts, was doing the extra stuff, the 7 on 7, the extra workouts, the running, the lifting,” Barthelemess said.

Gordon’s skills, flexibility and dedication all culminated in a standout performance in an upset against Allen High School back in 2020.

“That was a huge game. That was probably one of his best games ever. Didn’t realize until after the game how many times he had actually carried the ball,” said Damian Norris, the runningbacks coach at Trinity Euless.

Norris said as impressive as that night was, 49 carries over 45 yards, their staff already knew Gordon was on track to perform at the next level.

“We knew how he was. We knew what kind of player he was and it just, still amazing to see, but it didn’t surprise us one bit,” Norris said.

Now, a sophomore at OSU, Gordon prepares to play in arguably the biggest game of his career. Playing at a level that not only has the attention of the Cowboy’s faithful but also the higher-ups down in Austin. Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisan spoke about Gordon earlier this week.

“Ollie Gordon is a heck of a player, they have done a great job offensively of leaning into him. Generally, with a guy like him, one guy’s not enough,” Sarkisan said.

While the Longhorns are the heavy favorite in Arlington, the people who coached him know he’s ready for the challenge.

“Being an underdog, it just fuels him,” Norris said.

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