Devin Mockobee Gets an Unfair Ending to His Tremendous Purdue Career
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Barry Odom seemed almost reluctant to give a response when he was asked about Devin Mockobee's injury during his press conference on Monday. He wasn't trying to hide anything, but it was almost as if he could avoid making the statement; it wouldn't be a reality.
Unfortunately, Odom made the statement, and on Monday morning, the worries became a reality. Mockobee's career at Purdue has come to an end, suffering an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year.
I'll admit, when Odom provided the disappointing update on Monday, I heard myself say the words, "Oh no," out loud. The words didn't leave my lips out of surprise, but sorrow, knowing one of college football's good guys didn't get to end his time at Purdue on his own terms.
Fairness rarely wins out in sports. As my mother always told me, "The fair is in August." As it relates to Mockobee, though, this ending feels incredibly unjust for a player who poured his heart and soul into a team, a program, and a school.
Mockobee stayed through the highs and lows, even when nobody. He bet on himself in 2021, and joined the Purdue football program as a walk-on. In 2022, he burst onto the Big Ten scene, rushing for 968 yards and nine touchdowns, helping the Boilermakers win a division title, the first in program history.
At the end of that season, he was put on scholarship by incoming coach Ryan Walters for his efforts.
For the next three years, Mockobee suffered through many lows. He was a member of a one-win Purdue team in 2024 and watched an entire coaching staff and roster walk out the door. He could have joined them — the opportunities were there — but he chose to stay at Purdue.
Mockobee played for three different coaches during a five-year span. He's endured the pain of winning just seven games in the last seven years. Through all those ups and downs, his loyalty has never wavered.
"There have been plenty of ups and downs for me in my career here at Purdue," Mockobee wrote in a heartfelt note posted on social media on Monday. "But the one thing that stayed consistent is the pride I had to put on that P and go out and give it everything I had for my family, my teammates, my coaches, the fans, and the university."
If anyone deserved to have a fair ending to their collegiate career, Devin Mockobee was the ideal candidate.
Mockobee's character admired by others
Mockobee always took pride in putting on that Purdue uniform. It represented something greater than himself and served as a reminder that he had the opportunity to live out his childhood dream. That was something he never took for granted.
"Even when it was its hardest, I had a job to do, and that was to play as hard as I could every time I touched the field," Mockobee said in a statement.
How easy it would have been for Mockobee to shut it down on his own, especially in today's landscape. He could have entered the transfer portal and sought out better opportunities, but he always believed the best opportunity was the one right in front of him.
Mockobee's loyalty and dedication to Purdue caught the attention of a Boilermaker legend. Over the summer, former quarterback Drew Brees had nothing but praise for the senior running back.
"Here was a guy who walked on and ended up starting his freshman year and earning a scholarship," Brees said. "There isn't a guy who represents the Purdue program better in the history of the school than Devin Mockobee.
"He takes such pride in the program, such loyalty to the program. I think he appreciates the opportunity Purdue gave him, and he wants to pay that back. Those are the type of guys you want to win for, and those are the type of guys you want to build a successful program. He deserves to have all the success in the world."
Maybe Mockobee's last three seasons didn't go quite according to plan, but he did rack up the accomplishments throughout his career. His 2,987 rushing yards rank fourth all-time in program history. He scored 23 rushing touchdowns, which is the ninth most.
What might be more important, though, is how Mockobee earned the respect and admiration of his teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans during his five years in West Lafayette.
"I look at the values of Purdue and talking about the 'Purdue way,' with toughness, discipline, trustworthiness — Devin embodies all of that," Odom said at Big Ten Media Days. "He does it every single day with his habits, his work ethic, and he has respect in the locker room ... He'll go down as one of the great ones."
Mockobee played 45 straight games
Not only was Mockobee's Purdue's top running back over the last four years, but he had also been one of the toughest, most durable backs in the Big Ten. Until last week's game against Michigan, the running back had played in 45 straight games for the Boilermakers.
The only game he missed before Saturday's contest against Michigan? The 2022 season opener against Penn State.
This season may not have gone according to plan, but Mockobee deserved the chance to play in the final four games of his career, and on the biggest stages, too. The Boilermakers close out the year with games against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 24 Washington, and No. 2 Indiana.
Who wouldn't want the chance to play in those games?
That wasn't the hand Mockobee was dealt, unfortunately. But because he poured his heart and soul into every game he played, he leaves Purdue without a single regret. He knows he gave everything he could to a program, even in the darkest times.
"I've given it my all," Mockobee wrote, "therefore, I live with no regrets."
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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