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Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) rushes with the football Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Devin Mockobee's Journey Makes Him 'One of the Great Ones' in Purdue Football History

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 11:45 AM ET

The journey for Devin Mockobee has been an intriguing one. The walk-on from Boonville, Indiana began his career at Purdue as a walk-on running back in 2022. Now, as he enters his senior season in West Lafayette, he has a realistic chance to become the all-time leading rusher in program history.

But the star running back is hardly defined by the 2,466 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns he's accumulated at Purdue. It's his unselfish attitude, work ethic, and character that have turned a walk-on player into one of the best ball carriers in program history.

"I look at the values of Purdue and talking about the 'Purdue way,' with toughness, discipline, trustworthiness — Devin embodies all of that," Purdue head coach Barry Odom said at Big Ten Media Days Thursday. "He's a couple of hours short of getting his mechanical engineering degree, which is substantial for graduating from Purdue with that.

"Also, he's 1,200 yards away from being the leading rusher in Purdue history. He'll go down as one of the great ones. He does it every single day with his habits, his work ethic, he has respect in the locker room."

Mockobee enters his senior season needing 1,170 yards to pass Mike Alstott as Purdue's all-time leading rusher, setting the mark at 3,635 yards when he played from 1992-95.

Though Mockobee has been the Boilers' top rusher each of the last three seasons, he has yet to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. If he's able to do that, he'll have a legitimate chance to etch his name in the Purdue history books.

Whether he leaves Purdue with the rushing record or not, Mockobee is going to be remembered in West Lafayette for a long time. Not only was he a member of a team that reached the Big Ten Championship Game in 2022, he stuck around the program when everyone else left. And when things got difficult, he was one of the few who decided to tough it out.

There's more to life than football for Mockobee

Like dozens of other Purdue players after the 1-11 season in 2024, Mockobee could have decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal and search for a better fit for his final season of college eligibility. Nobody would have blamed him — he had already given his all to the program.

But life is about more than football for the Boonville native. Yes, the vision of Odom was a big reason Mockobee decided to stick around for the 2025 season, but he also valued the opportunity to receive a Purdue degree.

"It was a really easy decision for me," Mockobee said when asked why he decided to stay. "From a schooling aspect, my mechanical engineering degree is something that is very important to me. That's something I'm going to hold on to for the rest of my life.

"It's a four-year plan. What I'm going to be doing after football is more important, so that made it really easy for me."

Mockobee has a chance to do something special in West Lafayette: leave as the program's all-time leading rusher and graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering. Neither of those accomplishments come easy.

It's been a remarkable journey for a walk-on running back from Boonville, one that everyone associated with Purdue will remember for years.

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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