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AUSTIN, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Jerrick Gibson #9 of the Texas Longhorns rushes for a touchdown in the second half against the Florida Gators at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Note: I’m using the same intro for all of the articles in this series. Here are the links to the other articles in this series:
Quarterback
Last week, the NCAA announced they were moving forward with a rule change that eliminates redshirts and allows five seasons of eligibility as long as you are enrolled by the time you’re 19. This, in part, was a reaction to the influx of European professionals into college basketball last season. It also clears up the eligibility issues regarding junior college recruits after Diego Pavia received an additional year of eligibility through a court injunction. In theory, these new rules will take effect for any player who enrolls on or after January 1, 2027, while players who enroll before next year will get whichever set of rules is most beneficial for them.
To boil that down to its essence, athletes who played as “true freshmen” under the old system will get an extra year of eligibility.
You can read the press release from the NCAA here.
We’re always looking for things to write about in the summer, so this seems like the perfect time to run through the roster, adjust everyone’s eligibility, and discuss what those changes mean moving forward.
Running Back
| # | Name | Pos | Class | HS/JuCo/Portal | Home State | High School | HS Rating | Juco/Port | JuCo/Port Rating | Seasons at Purdue | Eligibility Remaining | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Fame Ijeboi | RB | 24 | Portal | PA | William Penn Charter | 3*(86.8) | Minnesota | 3*(87.5) | 0 | 3 | Fame Ijeboi |
| 4 | Jerrick Gibson | RB | 24 | Portal | FL | IMG | 4*(93.9) | Texas | 3*(88.7) | 0 | 3 | Jerrick Gibson |
| 22 | Antonio Harris | RB | 24 | HS | IN | Castle | NR | NA | NA | 2 | 3 | Antonio Harris |
| 20 | Travis Terrell Jr. | RB | 24 | Portal | GA | Creekside | 3*(82) | Jackson State | 3*(86) | 0 | 3 | Travis Terrell Jr. |
| 24 | Izaiah Wright | RB | 26 | HS | MI | Oscar A. Carlson | 3*(87.4) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Izaiah Wright |
| 31 | Carter Holsworth | RB | 24 | Portal | IN | Jasper | NR | Marshall | NR | 1 | 3 | Carter Holsworth |
Eligibility Changes
Travis Terrell received an additional year of eligibility under the new rules.
Thoughts
The class of 2024 is certainly well represented in the running back room. Jerrick Gibson was the headliner of the transfer class, but Fame Ijeboi put down his marker in spring practice. Don’t forget about Antonio Harris; the former walk-on had a couple of touchdown runs of over 20 yards and caught 17 passes for 137 yards. He has an intriguing skill set for a 6’1”, 215-pound running back and should find a role in the offense. You can also throw freshman (are they still called freshman?) Izaiah Wright into the mix. He averaged over 8 yards per carry and 1 touchdown every 8 carries while playing Class A (highest enrollment) football in Michigan. There’s no reason to hold him back, and at 5’11”, 215 pounds, he’s physically ready to play right now.
Travis Terrell Jr. received an extra year of eligibility under the new age-based model because he’s the only back on the roster who hasn’t taken a redshirt season. As a true freshman in 2024, he was Honorable Mention AP FCS All-American and the SWAC Freshman of the Year at Jackson State. The 5’9”, 170-pound dynamo brings some sizzle to the Purdue backfield and should be a factor in the return game as well.
I’m not exactly sure how the carries will shake out, but the running back room is fully stocked; in fact, it might be one of the deepest position groups on the roster. Coach Odom and Henson have put together a diverse stable of running backs. I expect to see a running attack capable of both grinding out short-yardage first downs and breaking explosive runs downfield. Travis Terrell Jr. will get you out of your seat every time he touches the ball, and Izaiah Wright, for my money, was woefully undervalued by the recruiting services. Purdue beat out the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin for his services. That looks like a 4* offer list to me, and I have 4* hopes for Wright’s Purdue career.
Looking Forward
If you’re looking for a reason to get excited about Purdue football, I’d start with the running back room. Gibson had a couple of moments playing as a true freshman at Texas in 2024 that seemed to validate his 4* evaluation. He had 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown against Florida (granted, a bad Florida team) and had 9 carries for 35 yards in a competitive first-round CFP game against Clemson. He’s a tough, between-the-tackle runner who should feature on early downs where his shortcomings in pass protection and receiving should be mitigated. If nothing else, he’ll be an immediate upgrade as a short-yardage back, but my guess is he came to Purdue be more than a role player.
Ijeboi is in the same boat as Gibson; if he wanted to be a backup running back, he could have stayed at his previous school. Fame was Darius Taylor’s understudy at Minnesota last season, but the difference between the backs, at least according to their production, was negligible. Taylor ran for 670 yards and 4 touchdowns on 143 attempts (4.7 Y/A) while Ijeboi ran for 441 yards and 2 touchdowns on 97 attempts (4.5 Y/A). His 17-carry, 108-yard, 1-touchdown performance against Michigan State with Taylor out of action helped lead the Gophers to a 23-20 overtime victory. Fame had the reputation of a between-the-tackles runner coming into Purdue, but he made multiple explosive plays in spring camp, prompting running back coach Cornell Ford to say in an interview that Purdue had “hit a home run” with Fame.
Both Gibson and Ijeboi have three years of eligibility remaining; it’s not unreasonable to think whichever back wins the starting job this season may be entrenched at the top of the depth chart for multiple seasons. When Purdue needs a different skill set on passing downs, Antonio Harris and Travis Terrell are both capable receivers out of the backfield who can turn a short pass into a touchdown.
As I said above, I’m not sure how freshman Izaiah Wright fits into this equation, but I think he could be the best of the bunch long term, and I think Gibson and Ijeboi are both talented running backs.
The bottom line is this: one of the main reasons Barry Odom is head coach of Purdue in 2026 is the running game he put together at UNLV in 2024. Last season, he did not have what he needed in the running back room, especially with Mockobee limited to 8 games.
His running back room at UNLV in 2024 looked like this:
Jai’Den Thomas – 5’9”, 190 – Att: 164 – Yds: 918 – Tds: 11 – Y/A: 5.6
Kylin James – 6’0”, 225 – Att: 89 – Yds: 653 – Tds: 5 – Y/A: 7.3
Greg Burrell – 6’1”, 205 – Att: 65 – Yds: 366 – Tds: 3 – Y/A: 5.6
In 2024, UNLV had the 7th-ranked rushing offense in the nation, running for 3,409 yards on 623 carries and 29 touchdowns, while averaging 5.47 yards per carry.
In 2025, Purdue had the 103rd-ranked rushing offense in the nation, running for 1,549 yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging 4.03 yards per carry.
I expect Purdue’s rushing attack to be closer to UNLV’s 2024 team than to Purdue’s 2025 team this season. This is a solid backfield with a diverse skill set. I think Purdue will be significantly better this season, and one of the main reasons, other than devotion bordering on delusion, is the marked improvement at running back in both talent and depth.
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