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Oklahoma State football: The case for Jaylen Warren as nation’s best RB

By John Scimeca

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 16: Jaylen Warren #7 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 16: Jaylen Warren #7 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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BOISE, ID – SEPTEMBER 18: Running back Jaylen Warren #7 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs during second half action against the Boise State Broncos on September 18, 2021 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Oklahoma State won the game 21-20. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID – SEPTEMBER 18: Running back Jaylen Warren #7 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs during second half action against the Boise State Broncos on September 18, 2021 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Oklahoma State won the game 21-20. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /

Warren’s potential OSU legacy

Warren also rushed for 821 yards in two seasons combined at Utah State before transferring to Stillwater.

No OSU player has ever won the Doak Walker Award, which has been annually given to the nation’s top running back since 1990. Not too many Big 12 players have won the award besides three Texas players: Ricky Williams (twice), Cedric Benson, and D’Onta Foreman. Byron Hanspard of Texas Tech won the honors in the Big 12’s first season, 1996.

Plenty of talented rushers, though, have donned orange and black over the years, beyond just 1988 Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders or 1977 Heisman runner-up Terry Miller.

Two Cowboy running backs have earned first-team All-American honors under head coach Mike Gundy: Chuba Hubbard in 2019 and Kendall Hunter in 2010. Five OSU running backs have gone in the NFL Draft in the past decade, including Chuba Hubbard this past spring to the Carolina Panthers.

Warren’s current play may put him in the conversation with some of these greats in school history, at least in terms of single-season numbers. To crack the Top 10 all-time list of single-season rushing totals, Warren would need to top 1,548 yards (Kendall Hunter in 2010).

Next. OSU receives No. 8 ranking after win at Texas. dark

The other players up for the nation’s best rusher include Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, Texas’ Bijan Robinson, and Alabama’s Brian Robinson, Jr.

Walker has the gaudiest numbers so far, rushing for more than 200 yards each in wins over Northwestern and Rutgers. He’s compiled 997 rushing yards through seven contests, good for a 142.4 yards-per-game average. The Spartans, though, arguably have yet to face their three best opponents so far: Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. His performance in these three games should be scrutinized in order to determine his status as the nation’s best rusher.

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