Story by
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
How running back Fame Ijeboi left Minnesota for Purdue
- Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
- How running back Fame Ijeboi left Minnesota for Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Minnesota coaching staff watched a player-evaluation decision backfire in their faces — on Saturday night at least.
In the offseason, head coach P.J. Fleck and staff opted to bring back Darius Taylor as the Gophers' No. 1 tailback for the 2026 season, while Fame Ijeboi transferred to Purdue to be the Boilermakers' starter.
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That decision loomed large in Purdue's 41-13 win over Minnesota at Ross-Ade Stadium. Ijeboi rushed 31 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns, while Taylor had seven carries for 15 yards and added 51 yards on seven receptions.
The Gophers committed a significant amount of roster spending in the offseason to bring Taylor back as the No. 1 tailback in his senior season. The U also wanted Ijeboi to return to Minnesota for his junior season, but the Folcroft, Pa., native sought a starting role. That wasn't likely in Minnesota with Taylor on the roster, sources told the Pioneer Press in September.
Ijeboi still appeared to be entertaining a return to Minnesota as the transfer portal remained open and he stayed uncommitted, but his move to a fellow Big Ten program had direct repercussions for Minnesota on Saturday.
"I don't think it's difficult at all," Fleck said about watching Ijeboi's success come against his team. "He's a great kid. I love that kid. I don't think it's difficult. I don't look at it like that.
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"This is college football in 2026. Fame Ijeboi is a tremendous person. He's a tremendous running back. He felt this is the best opportunity for him, and I'm really, really happy for him. … It happened to be against us, which I don't like, but what a great human being."
The Gophers stayed loyal to Taylor despite an injury history that has cost him roughly 25 percent of the games in his career. He has missed one game this season and does not appear to have the same explosiveness he showed at the start of the season.
"He feels great," Fleck said of Taylor postgame. "He has been cleared by our medical staff … but I don't think that had anything to do with it."
The Gophers are one of the lowest-spending teams in the Big Ten Conference this season, and Fleck has said that lack of funds is most felt with positional depth.
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Postgame, Ijeboi was asked about the Minnesota connection, but he steered his answer toward his new team.
"(I) didn't make it about myself, but made it about my teammates," Ijeboi said. "It was an opportunity for me to show much I care about them, how much I love them, with how I played. To show them they are my brothers now, they are my family. I'm ready to do whatever I've got to do to win."
The Gophers made tacking a focus this week, but Ijeboi broke a bevy of them on Saturday.
"He's a great running back; we knew that going into the game," linebacker Maverick Baranowski said. "He had himself a really nice night, and we've got to tackle better."
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Coming into Saturday, Ijeboi had 86 carries for 354 yards and six touchdowns, along with 11 receptions for 88 yards in five games. Taylor had 57 carries for 139 yards and four touchdowns, along with 11 receptions for 104 yards and one receiving TD in four games.
