Purdue top rusher Devin Mockobee undergoes season-ending surgery

Devin Mockobee arrived at Purdue in 2022 as a walk-on running back. He ends his career fourth on the Boilermakers’ all-time rushing list.

Purdue coach Barry Odom announced Monday that the senior running back’s college career has ended a month early due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

“We were hoping we would get a little bit better news after they did that procedure on his ankle,” Odom said. “But, unfortunately, the injury he sustained, he’s played his last game here. I sure hate that because he is such a wonderful young man, a great leader of this program and a great representative of Purdue University.

Mockobee, who earned a scholarship after rushing for a team-high 968 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, produced 2,987 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground in 45 games. He also caught 86 passes for 839 yards and three scores.

Mockobee trails only Mike Alstott (3,635 yards), Kory Sheets (3,341) and Otis Armstrong (3,315) on Purdue’s career rushing list.

The Boonville, Ind., native, rated a two-star recruit despite running for 419 yards in a high school game as a senior, took to X to share his thoughts.

“I cannot express in words what this university and its people mean to me. And how grateful I am for the support that’s been around me in every facet of life to help me find success,” he wrote.

“For a kid like me, the career I’ve had was never supposed to be on the table. An under recruited kid who didn’t get looked at very much and took a chance and walked on to a division 1 program. Always told I was ‘too small’, ‘not fast enough’, or I didn’t ‘look the part’. Despite it all, I just decided to work.”

Mockobee injured his ankle Oct. 25 against Rutgers. His 521 rushing yards this season are 315 more than both Antonio Harris and Malachi Thomas, so there’s a good chance Mockobee will lead Purdue (2-7, 0-6 Big Ten) in rushing for the fourth year in a row.