Ohifame “Fame” Ijeboi(Click on the above link for his official Purdue Bio)
BREAKING: Former Minnesota Running Back Fame Ijeboi has Committed to Purdue, he tells me. The 6’0”, 210 lb RS Freshman totaled 495 Yards & 3 TDs for the Gophers in 2025.Will have 3 years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/iEfYw9aQfR
High School: William Penn Charter (Philadelphia, PA)
Eligibility Remaining: 3 Seasons – Redshirt Sophomore
High School Recruiting Rankings: 3*(86.8) – National Rank: 842 – Running Back Rank: 67
Transfer Portal Rankings: 3*(87.5) – National Rank: 424 – Running Back Rank: 39
Ran for 968 yards and 10 touchdowns on 147 carries over 9 games as a senior
Recorded 23 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 interceptions playing safety as a senior
Participated in track as well and has a 10.89 100 meters on his resume
Considered a 4* recruit and the 19th best running back in the 2024 class by On3
Signed with Minnesota over offers from Rutgers, Temple, Nebraska, and Virginia Tech
Best Game: 17 carries – 108 yards – 1 touchdown vs Michigan State
Landing Fame was a massive get for the Boilermaker staff, especially for running back coach Cornell Ford. You’ve got to go pretty far back in recent Purdue football history to find a back with his balance of size, power, and speed. The best Purdue comparison I have is Kory Sheets, and that’s a bit of a stretch. Kory was probably faster, and Fame runs harder between the tackles. Still, Sheets put up 1131 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2008. If Fame gets anywhere close to either of those numbers, Purdue will be significantly better than their preseason predictions…at least on offense. To sweeten the pot a little more, he was in line to start for Minnesota. Not only does this addition help Purdue, but it also hurts an opposing team on the schedule—a true win/win for the Boilermakers.
Purdue was 14th in rushing yards per game last season. That has to improve for Barry Odom’s system to work in West Lafayette. This team needs something they can rely on to consistently move the ball on offense, if for no other reason than to give the defense a break. I remember a few games last season where the defense would make a critical stop, only for the offense to go 3-and-out and put the defense right back on the field. That’s not a recipe for success at any level of football. Fame was brought in to help keep the offense on the field, and it sounds like things are off to a good start if the reports out of camp are accurate (and I have no reason to believe they’re not). He was Purdue’s highest-rated transfer for a reason.
He’ll be joined in the backfield by fellow transfer Jerrick Gibson out of Texas, who was banged up this spring, and holdover Antonio Harris. Freshman back Izaiah Wright has enough talent to carve out a role as well, potentially, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the talented freshman redshirt. It sounds like Ijeboi is the favorite to win the starting job coming out of spring ball, but fall camp will tell the story. I don’t expect Gibson or Harris to cede the starting position without a fight, and I expect all 3 backs to play a role this season.
I don’t know how the depth chart will shake out, but I do know Purdue is in a significantly better position at running back now than it was last season, in terms of overall talent and depth. If you’re looking for something to get excited about, the Purdue running game should be much improved, and Fame will play a significant role in that improvement.