DALLAS – One of the newest Purdue Boilermakers, sophomore Fame Ijeboi, was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List on Tuesday (Aug. 18). Heading into his first season in West Lafayette, Ijeboi landed on the watch list for the trophy awarded to the nation’s most outstanding running back.
It has become an annual tradition for a Boilermaker to be included in the Doak Walker Award Watch List. Legendary running back Devin Mockobee was on the watch list for the past three seasons before ending his career as on the greatest backs in program history. With Mockobee’s graduation, Ijeboi joins a running back room where the starting spot is up for grabs.
Ijeboi began his college career at Minnesota, spending two seasons with the Golden Gophers before making the move to Purdue. As a redshirt freshman last year, he played in 11 games and rushed for 441 yards to go along with three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). The Folcroft, Pennsylvania, native recorded a season-high 17 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown versus Michigan State.
Ijeboi and the Boilermakers begin the 2026 campaign on a Friday night under the lights. Purdue hosts Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET (Sept. 4).
