Purdue Football 2026 Position Preview — Running Backs
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Our Purdue preseason preview for the 2026 college football season continues, shifting from quarterbacks to the running back room. It's a position group that needed some upgrades after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Barry Odom and his staff did an excellent job in the transfer portal, bringing in three experienced backs during the offseason. The Boilers also return two players from last year and have one incoming ball carrier as a member of the 2025 recruiting class.
Let's take a look at what Purdue's running back group will look like this fall and how much this group will factor into the offense.
Returners
- Antonio Harris (Jr.) — Harris was Purdue's second-leading rusher behind Devin Mockobee last season. The sophomore accounted for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He had arguably his best performance against Illinois, totaling just four carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. Harris also had a big day against Michigan, totaling 54 yards and a score on 11 touches. He became Purdue's primary ball carrier in the last four games after Mockobee's season-ending injury. The junior has flashed great breakaway speed at points in his career.
- Carter Holsworth (So.) — Beginning his career at Marshall, Holsworth transferred to Purdue following the 2024 campaign. He has not appeared in any games during his first two years at the college level.
Newcomers
- Fame Ijeboi (So.) — Ijeboi was the No. 2 rusher behind Darius Taylor at Minnesota during his freshman campaign. He racked up 441 yards on 97 carries and accounted for three total touchdowns. The 6-foot, 210-pound back is a strong runner and brings a sense of toughness to the running back room.
- Jerrick Gibson (So.) — As a true freshman in 2024, Gibson tallied 377 yards and four touchdowns for a Texas team that reached the College Football Playoff. Last year, he played in just four games to retain his redshirt season before entering the transfer portal. Gibson is a player with excellent field vision and patience. He isn't the fastest player on the field, but he's great at finding openings in the defense.
- Travis Terrell Jr. (Jr.) — Terrell probably has the best speed of Purdue's transfer portal pickups this offseason. He's also produced the most, even if it was at Jackson State, which competes at the FCS level. Last year, he rushed for 608 yards and five touchdowns. As a freshman in 2024, he totaled 459 yards and four touchdowns. Because of his speed, Terrell is also an excellent return man for the special teams unit.
- Izaiah Wright (Fr.) — Wright is the only running back to commit to Purdue in the 2026 class as a high school recruit. The Michigan native stands 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds and is a tough, physical runner out of the backfield. He accounted for more than 4,700 yards and scored 68 touchdowns during his high school football career.
More options in the backfield
Purdue was extremely limited with its backfield in 2025, especially after Mockobee sustained the season-ending injury late in the year. Harris and Malachi Thomas were the only two running backs to carry the football more than three times last fall, a problem for the Boilermakers from start to finish.
Last year, the Boilers totaled just 1,517 total rushing yards and averaged 126.42 yards per contest. That ranked 14th in the Big Ten and 103rd nationally. It was a tough pill to swallow for Odom, who wants to establish the run in West Lafayette.
Odom feels much better about the running back situation heading into the 2026 season. Coming out of spring practice, the head coach told reporters that he felt good about Purdue having four guys ready to carry a significant workload.
Harris is the only returning contributor and is a candidate to have a significant role this season. The Boilermakers then used the transfer portal to beef up the running back room, adding Ijeboi, Gibson and Terrell in the offseason. All four bring unique looks to the backfield.
Harris and Terrell are the speedsters of the bunch, the guys who can speed past defenders. Ijeboi is the unquestioned power back of the group, and Gibson has excellent vision and patience. It gives offensive coordinator Josh Henson several options and skill sets to work with this fall.
Purdue has options in the backfield this year. Yes, one or two of those players are likely to separate themselves and take on the lion's share of the carries, but this type of experience and depth should allow the Boilermakers to keep their backs fresh and healthy throughout the year.
Consistency is key
At times during the 2025 season, Purdue looked capable of running the football at a high level. They piled up 214 yards against Southern Illinois, torched Minnesota for 253 yards on the ground, and plowed through Rutgers for 217 rushing yards. But the Boilers failed to maintain that level of consistency throughout the year. Purdue was held below 100 yards in six games.
Purdue doesn't have to rush for over 200 yards every week to be successful, but it needs to consistently be in the 150-yard range, especially with Odom placing such a premium on establishing a ground presence. A lot of that is going to fall on the offensive line, but the running backs must do their job, too.
The reason why Purdue can have more success on the ground this season is because of the variety and depth it has in the running back room. The Boilers have options for both power and speed, which should be an advantage against different opponents this season.
To help the run game, Purdue also can't find itself trailing early in games. That was another issue last season, which really forced the Boilermakers to make up ground through the air.
The biggest question
How does Henson plan to utilize this group within the offense? Running the football will be a top priority in 2026 and there's no lack of talent or depth. But, right now, how the Boilermakers approach the rushing attack remains a question.
Will Purdue have a ground game by committee and use all four backs — Ijeboi, Gibson, Harris and Terrell? Are one or two guys going to take control of the rushing attack? How much will this group be utilized in the passing game?
More than one question presents itself here, and most will probably be answered throughout fall camp. Right now, though, this is an intriguing room.
One final thought
It might be premature to make this prediction, but this has the potential to be the most improved position group at Purdue in 2026. Losing Mockobee is obviously a blow in terms of talent and leadership, but the Boilermakers have several quality running backs who have the potential to carry a heavy workload.
What's particularly intriguing about this group is the variety of skill sets that each player possesses. It should allow Henson to open up the offense and incorporate several guys throughout the year.
Purdue is going to have the ability to punish teams with physical backs like Ijeboi and Gibson. When defenses get worn down, Harris and Terrell can utilize their speed to break out into space and rip off big gains.
If the offensive line does its part (that preview is coming soon), Purdue's rushing attack has the potential to rank in the top half of the Big Ten.
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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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