LOS ANGELES — Through two games, UCLA has proven its run game, averaging 6.55 yards per carry during its 2-0 start in wins over Cal and San Diego State.
Now the focus switches to Purdue, led by Fame Ijeboi, who is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, including an 114-yard performance during the Boilermakers’ 38-36 double-overtime loss to Wake Forest.
As it turns out, UCLA coach Bob Chesney had his eyes on Ijeboi from the start. Ijeboi was being recruited to join Chesney during his previous stint at James Madison before ultimately landing first at Minnesota in 2024 and 2025 and later heading to West Lafayette, Ind.
Ijeboi is from Folcroft, PA and attended William Penn Charter High School, the same alma mater as current UCLA defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler.
“He’s a Pennsylvania kid and we didn’t have a lot of film on him,” Chesney said. “He’s proven to the world the kind of player he is.”
Ijeboi’s ability to stay level and low is allowing him to flourish at Purdue.
“He has a wing feel to him where he’s low to the ground and his body balance is phenomenal,” Chesney said. “His leg drive on contact is unbelievable and you don’t see him usually get tackled a lot. You usually see him get moved towards the sideline and even then, he doesn’t step out of bounds.”
Chesney noted Ijeboi’s ability to move both with power and evasiveness.
“He’s always looking for a soft shoulder to find any crease where he can get his body away from the contact,” Chesney said. “He does an unbelievable job of putting his pads down when he has to and then slipping things the last second. To be a smaller target like that in the middle of the line, our defensive line is going to have to get service to area contact because an arm tackle isn’t going to happen. He catches the ball in the backfield well.”
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