One Position Battle to Watch Closely During Purdue's Fall Camp
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Building up the running back room was a focal point for Barry Odom during the offseason. The Boilermakers attacked the transfer portal to add experience and depth to the position, which should create competition when Purdue opens fall camp on Thursday.
That's just one reason why it's the most interesting position battle in West Lafayette entering 2026.
Purdue returns just one running back who carried the football last season, junior Antonio Harris. Through the portal, the Boilers added Fame Ijeboi (Minnesota), Jerrick Gibson (Texas) and Travis Terrell Jr. (Jackson State).
Who wins the starting job? How many will Purdue utilize during the season? Those are just a few questions as to why this particular battle is so intriguing.
Who wins the starting job?
If I had to pick an individual who I think will be the starter in Week 1 against Indiana State, I'd lean towards Ijeboi. He played an important role for Minnesota last season and can be a bulldozing rusher out of the backfield. The sophomore might be the most complete back Purdue has on the roster.
Gibson factors into the mix because of his excellent vision and patience. He's not the fastest player, but he can find holes in the defense to turn short-yardage runs into big gains. Travis and Harris both possess tremendous breakaway speed.
Among those four ball carriers, Purdue has that "thunder and lightning" element that can cause problems for the defense. Odom has talked about having a more explosive and consistent rushing attack. Having backs with different skill sets will help the rushing attack.
How many ball carriers will be utilized?
When spring practice ended, Odom said that he felt comfortable using four different running backs. That doesn't mean that all four would get an equal number of reps during the season, but if Purdue does have trust in all four of those players, it would keep the running back room fresh throughout the course of a long season.
Even if Ijeboi and Gibson carried a majority of the workload, offensive coordinator Josh Henson could throw Terrell and Harris into the mix to shake things up offensively. Those two guys might be effective in the passing attack, as well.
Purdue would probably love to have one or two guys who can handle a majority of the carries this season. But if depth is going to be a strength in the backfield, why not utilize it to the best of your ability?
Purdue wants a better rushing attack
Odom has harped on establishing a solid rushing attack since he took the job at Purdue in December 2024. A strong ground game opens up opportunities through the air and also allows teams to ice games in the Big Ten.
Last season, Purdue averaged 126.4 yards per game on the ground. However, the Boilermakers were held to fewer than 100 yards on the ground in six of their 12 games. They need more consistency running the football.
Because of the urgency to improve on the ground, it's one of the most important positions for Purdue to show progress in 2026.
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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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