Purdue RB Devin Mockobee Enters Final Season With 'Something to Prove'

The years passed by quicker than Devin Mockobee realized. It felt like just a few days ago, the walk-on running back from Boonville, Ind., participated in his first practice at Purdue. Five years later, the star of the Boilermakers' offense is preparing for his final season in West Lafayette.

Saturday's game against Ball State (noon ET, Big Ten Network) will mark the final time Mockobee plays in a season opener for Purdue. Just a few months ago, that wasn't even something the senior running back had on his mind. When he made the trip to Las Vegas for Big Ten Media Days in late July, though, he became aware that he was about to begin his final year as a Boilermaker.

"I think it really hit when we were at Big Ten Media Days and they asked me how I was going to feel on Senior Night," Mockobee told reporters Monday. "I realized, 'Oh shoot, I'm going to be in Senior Night.' I think that's when it really started to hit that it was a reality."

Mockobee has entered every season at Purdue with a chip on his shoulder, but now it's even bigger as he prepares for his senior campaign. He's hoping to erase some of the bitter taste that lingers from a 1-11 record in 2024.

During the course of his five years in West Lafayette, Mockobee has experienced plenty of highs and lows. He was the leading rusher on a team that played in the Big Ten Championship Game in 2022. Just last season, he was a member of one of the worst teams in college football.

Mockobee also comes into his senior season needing 1,170 yards to pass Mike Alstott as Purdue's all-time leading rusher. But it's not the individual accolades that push Mockobee. It's finding ways to win that fuels his motor.

"Obviously, I've got a chip on my shoulder when it comes to stuff like that. Even though I may be the fifth-year guy on my last ride, I still have something to prove at the end of the day," Mockobee said. "So, it's going to be just like every other year, giving it my all to try and put my guys in the best situation to win."

Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) runs the ball | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Purdue started the 2024 season with a similar level of hunger and eagerness to hit the field. The Boilers started with a 49-0 win over Indiana State, but that proved to be fool's gold. They proceeded to lose the next 11 games, many of which were blowouts.

But there's a real belief in West Lafayette that a similar fate won't unfold this fall.

"Shoot, we have a whole new organization, basically," Mockobee said.

As a veteran on the field, Mockobee was one of eight players voted to be a team captain for the 2025 season. It speaks to the level of trust his teammates have in him, both as a player and as a leader.

It also validates the type of belief coach Barry Odom has placed on Mockobee to be one of the key pieces of Purdue's offense in 2025.

"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'll go down as one of the great ones. He does it every single day with his habits, his work ethic, and he has respect in the locker room."

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