Purdue Boilermakers head football coach Ryan Walters ensured he would become a fan and player favorite when he “pulled rank” during his first move as the lead man in West Lafayette.

Sophomore running back Devin Mockobee, a former Navy recruit who flipped to Purdue as a preferred walk-on in 2021, was awarded a scholarship after he led the Boilermakers with 920 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 182 attempts. He passed up offers from Valparaiso and Hanover College, as well as interest in the University of Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky, when he flipped to Purdue football in the summer of 2021.

“I guess that's what it feels like to flex as a head coach,” Walters said.

Devin Mockobee's 106 rushing yards and one touchdown played a key part in earning the Boilermakers a 31-24 upset over Illinois in Memorial Stadium. Purdue still forced the least amount of rushing yards against the Illini all season, finishing with 156 less net rushing yards than the Wyoming Cowboys put up in early August.

“I played against y'all,” said Ryan Walters, the former defensive coordinator of the Illinois Fighting Illini. “When I found out he was a walk-on, I asked ‘what's going on over here?'”

Even as senior running back King Doerue was limited to four games and the loss of senior fullback Zander Horvath to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Boilermakers still improved on their rushing yard total by 505 yards from the year before. Junior running back and Indiana Hoosiers transfer Dylan Downing placed second on the team with 352 yards on 92 attempts.

Ryan Walters was hired on Wednesday to officially succeed now-Louisville coach Jeff Brohm as Purdue football's 37th head coach. The 36-year-old was in the running for the Broyles award, or the top assistant coach in college football, after his defense allowed 12.3 points per game and 263.8 total yards per game.