WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A walk-on running back from southern Indiana suddenly emerging out of the Purdue backfield. Sound familiar? Redshirt freshman tailback Antonio Harris has risen from an unknown depth piece to a projected key cog in the Boilermakers’ run game plans in a matter of months. A story eerily similar to that of […]
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A walk-on running back from southern Indiana suddenly emerging out of the Purdue backfield. Sound familiar? Redshirt freshman tailback Antonio Harris has risen from an unknown depth piece to a projected key cog in the Boilermakers’ run game plans in a matter of months. A story eerily similar to that of one Devin Mockobee is brewing in West Lafayette.
Harris was a freshman at Castle (Ind.) when Mockobee was starring at Booneville (Ind.), and has looked up to the now veteran Boilermaker tailback since. Both turned down offers elsewhere to become walk-ons with the Boilermakers after starring for their respective high schools in the southern portion of the state. Mockobee waited a year before bursting onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Harris redshirted last season and is now coming into his own in his second year on campus, but still has much to prove heading into the fall.
“I seen his path, and I was like, I mean this guy kind of set the way, and it was a big inspiration for me. But I guess for me, it was kind of just taking a chance on myself and betting on myself. I had a great support staff back at home. So just trusting them, trusting the man above. So that’s, it’s kind of where that led to,” Harris said.
“I feel like we’re putting a big spotlight on southern Indiana football. So I feel like it’s huge to have two guys here in the Big Ten, and obviously, hopefully more coming up from southern Indiana,” Harris said.
Harris and Mockobee now figures prominently into the Purdue backfield in 2025, with Mockobee being the lone returning starter from last season and Harris emerging as a trusted ball carrier for the Boilermakers. The elder statesman in Lamar Conard’s running back room is established as the bell cow back, while Harris provides competition and another solid option for offensive coordinator Josh Henson this fall.
“He has a great example that was set before him by Mockobee, and he’s just trying to take that baton and run with it,” Conard said.
Harris was a name that began popping back in spring practice as one of the few holdovers from last year’s squad. A thinning backfield offered the redshirt freshman with an opportunity to get more reps, which was an opportunity he would not squander. The successful spring has evolved into a complete arrival during fall camp for the redshirt freshman tailback.
“Yeah, we saw it last year. Yes, we saw this spring, this summer, and now it’s just coming to fruition,” Conard said.
“He’s awesome. He plays the game the right way. He plays all out and leaves it on the field,” Conard said. “He’s performing at such a high level, and we just got to keep him there.”
The mental aspect of the game has been a focal point for Harris in his emergence this off-season, with assistance watching film alongside Mockobee, Conard, and Malachi Thomas. Gaining a deeper understanding of not only what he is doing between the lines, but the rest of the offense, has helped expedite the improvements for Harris.
“I think my mindset, and like, how I approach the game, especially now the game’s slowing down for me, with the being my second year. I’m able to read defenses and be more in depth into the playbook and not just what I’m doing, but what the linemen are doing and what the receivers are doing. So that’s really helped me a lot. So I feel like my knowledge of the game has really improved,” Harris said.
Harris has quickly earned the trust of the Purdue coaching staff, and most importantly of Josh Henson and Lamar Conard, heading into his redshirt freshman campaign. The day-to-day attention to detail and swiftly correcting miscues has gone a long way in thrusting Harris into getting first team reps through two weeks of fall camp.
“Antonio is just, he’s there every day. I mean, every day he’s the same. He’s grinding to get better. He’s Mr. Consistent. If he makes a mistake one day, next day he’s fixed it. So, when you got a guy like that, they fix mistakes from day to day that he’s continued to improve at a very fast rate, and that’s what Antonio’s doing. That’s why we’re putting him in there and leaning on him and trusting him with the one group,” Henson said.
The Mockobee-Harris relationship is a two-way street in terms of their impact of each other. The young buck gained knowledge from the savvy veteran and is now pushing Mockobee to make him better. Having two standouts out of the backfield is picture perfect for Conard, who has his eyes on trotting out a pair of studs to anchor the Purdue ground game in 2025. Could it be a duo hailing from southern Indiana?
“I want a Batman and Superman,” Conard said. “It’s great to have a Batman and Robin, but if I can have two alphas, fantastic. And ‘Ton is pushing, right? And only way you do that is coming to work every day with the fire and energy and the desire to be the best version of yourself. And he does that every day. Awesome kid, man.”
Category: General Sports
