Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks showed up to Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas last month with 250 custom-designed poker chips. They had no monetary value, but each chip featured a picture of Brooks’ face and a QR code that directed people to TahjTime.com. In one of the more peculiar examples of NIL’s ubiquity in college sports, Tech plans to promote and update the site all season long as its star senior aims to become the Red Raiders’ all-time best runner.
Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State’s star running back, didn’t leave Vegas empty-handed either. He used Alan Bowman, Brooks’ former teammate at Tech and the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, to provide an introduction to Brooks. And grabbed one of those poker chips.
“Oh yeah, I got one,” Gordon said. “I kept it. You know, motivation.”
There should be plenty of running backs among the Big 12 this season. Gordon and Brooks were two of the best running backs in college football last year. Gordon won the Doak Walker Award and led the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards. Brooks was just a few spots behind him, fourth in the country with 1,538 yards, and both are back for their respective teams this fall. In fact, four of the top 10 rushing leaders in college football from last year will be playing in the Big 12 this season, and seven of the top 25. The league boasts eight returning 1,000-yard rushers as of 2023 — more than the Big Ten (3) and SEC (2) combined — and only two of those eight are newcomers.
Gordon. Brooks. Devin Neal at Kansas. RJ Harvey and Peny Boone at UCF. DJ Giddens at Kansas State. Corey Kiner at Cincinnati. Jacory Croskey-Merritt at Arizona. And that list doesn’t include the backfield duo of CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White at West Virginia. Or Iowa State’s Abu Sama III, who came on strong as a true freshman down the stretch. Or a handful of other promising prospects.
That’s why 2024 will be the year of the running back in the Big 12.
“The Big 12 is home to the best running backs in the country this season,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark.
Or as Brooks put it: “All defenders in this league have to be treated with respect.”
Tahj Brooks finds a gap against Kansas State. (Michael C. Johnson / USA Today)
That reality became a nightmare for Big 12 coaches and defensive linemen in 2023. Gordon did his part to haunt the entire league, but even Oklahoma State wasn’t off the hook. Head coach Mike Gundy met with his defensive staff on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights to prepare for upcoming opponents, and his coaches constantly warned him about the other team’s tailback.
“We realized what we had with Ollie, but the same thing happened to me,” Gundy said. “Every week I wonder if we’ll ever play against someone who doesn’t have a back we’re scared of.”
This contributed to a broader offensive shift in the revamped 16-team conference. For a long time, the Old Big 12 was characterized by open, high-scoring matchups where defense was merely decorative and the running game was a diversion. Today, many offenses are focused on the run and built around a star ball carrier or a packed backfield. There are still the old standbys like Kansas State and newcomer Utah, but also places like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia that have changed their approach despite having Air Raid disciples on the headset who were previously known for keeping up with the best.
Five current Big 12 teams ran the ball at least 40 times per game last season, and of the 12 teams that returned from last season, seven averaged more run attempts than pass attempts. That’s partly because the offense emphasizes talent in the backfield, and partly it’s a reaction to the Big 12 defense. Over the last decade, more and more teams started playing with three high safeties and odd defensive lines to counter the Air Raid, leaving the offense to counter with more two- or three-tight end formations and run-heavy playbooks.
“It’s been a gradual change,” said West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, whose trio of Donaldson, White and quarterback Garrett Greene led an offense that finished fourth in the FBS in rushing yards per game and best in the Big 12 in 2023. “Right now, it looks like if you run the ball, stop the run and are really good on special teams, you have a good chance every week in this league.”
This change in style should have significant implications for the conference title game and the College Football Playoff field in 2024. Utah and K-State, the two teams with the most votes in the preseason media poll, both averaged over 40 rushing attempts per game last year. A quarterback injury contributed somewhat to that imbalance for the Utes, but the team still averaged 40.5 attempts per game over the last five seasons under Kyle Whittingham. And the Wildcats will be eager to score the ball with speedy Avery Johnson at quarterback alongside Giddens and Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards.
Among the other top prospects, Arizona expects to throw quite a bit, but the Pokes have Gordon and Kansas has the thunder-and-lightning duo of Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr.
This means there is a good chance that the Big 12 championship will be secured via ground transportation.
“There used to be 500- to 600-yard passing games in this league. But when you have a talented running back, it’s easy to get the ball to him,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said. “And there are a lot of running backs in this league that would be No. 1 on any team in any league.”
That dynamic has led to a certain mutual respect throughout the Big 12. In addition to working with Gordon on media days, Brooks also worked out with Neal a few times last offseason. Neal met Harvey in Vegas this summer and the two have made plans to work out together before the NFL Draft next spring. And they all seem to have developed an appreciation for each other’s game.
Gordon praised Brooks’ pass-blocking ability and is working on incorporating that element into his own game. He noted that while Harvey’s speed allows him to beat most defenders, “he’s still going to run right into your face.”
Harvey talked about Neal’s ability to put his foot on the ground and leave defenders in the dust, and how many broken tackles Brooks forces.
Brooks marveled at Gordon’s ability to outmaneuver defenders despite his size and Giddens’ low center of gravity.
Neal, who grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, before playing for his hometown Jayhawks, clearly has an affection for Giddens, who is also from Kansas.
“I sent DJ a message a while back,” Neal said. “The fans may not like it, but as a Kansas guy, I have a lot of respect for what he does for his hometown school. That’s a thorn in my side.”
DJ Giddens ran for 151 yards and scored a touchdown in Kansas State’s victory over NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He also caught a touchdown pass. (Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
It’s also fueled a competitive dynamic. UCF was the only Big 12 defense to hold Gordon under 120 rushing yards last regular season, and held the first-team All-American to just 25 yards in a 45-3 thrashing of the Knights in November.
“There were people saying Ollie was going to overrun our defense, so that group was mad,” said Harvey, who ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns in that game. “All week, our defense was also pressuring me, telling me they didn’t want him to come into our stadium and run for more yards than me.”
Brooks and Gordon said they both try to recognize the signals and tendencies of opposing running backs and pass them on to their teammates on defense.
“I’m going to talk to our linebackers and try to show them how to tell by the wandering eyes or the direction the other back is looking whether he’s running with the ball or blocking a pass,” Gordon said.
When asked how much they compete with their opponents on a weekly basis, Gordon, Brooks, Neal and Harvey all rightly pointed to the scoreboard as the most important statistic. UCF has one of the strongest running backs, including Harvey, Boone – who came from Toledo after rushing for 1,400 yards and being named MAC Offensive Player of the Year last season – and Cincinnati transfer Myles Montgomery. Harvey acknowledged that he doesn’t always need video game numbers to produce a winning performance.
“I want to be the best, but we have a lot of really talented players at UCF and the guys push me every day to be the best for our team,” Harvey said.
At the same time, it is clear that in a completely open Big 12, where parity is expected to prevail, the oversupply of talent at the running back position will affect the statistics in one way or another.
“Football is a team sport, you can’t do everything alone,” Gordon said. “But I know I have to show up every week and perform because if I don’t, others will.”
(Top photo of Ollie Gordon II: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
