Lamar Conard is all too familiar with Purdue. He's been walking around the campus since he got to West Lafayette back in 1991 as a player, coached under the legendary Joe Tiller and returned to his alma mater two years ago as the Boilermakers' running backs coach.

Conard's long history with the Boilermakers has reached a new chapter in 2025, as he embarks on the Barry Odom era in West Lafayette. The new Purdue head coach retained Conard from the previous staff, being the lone holdover in terms of position coaches. Odom entrusting him with the role meant more than just having a job, to Conard.

"For me, man, it's just a huge sense pride that he looked at the film, or he talked to the people he talked to, and said that this guy fits what I want to do, what I want to accomplish," Conard said. "It means the world. This is a great place, and I think that Purdue deserves the best, the best coaches, the best fans. You know, I can't articulate it well enough, but being able to stay home, it matters, man. This place has given so much to me, and I'm just grateful to be able to get back to it. And every day, I wake up with a smile on my face, and you know, I hope I make everybody proud."

Conard will look to make good on that desire as he leads the Purdue running backs through spring practice and into the 2025 season. It is a group that he was smiling ear to ear about on Tuesday morning, expressing his pleasure for when the Boilermakers' backfield sits at the end of March.

"I feel really good about the top end of the room, and the back half of the room, they're progressing. They're gonna help us in some capacity, whether its offense or special teams," Conard said.

Conard wasn't the only returner in the group, as Devin Mockobee opted to remain in West Lafayette despite a mass exodus that saw many of last year's starters find new homes. Mockobee could have been a hot commodity on the open market, but it was his love of Purdue and quest to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree in West Lafayette that kept him in the old gold and black.

"That was like 95% of my choice and then the last 5%, I mean it's just that I love being here you know. Like that's all I want to do, because I just love Purdue. It's been my dream school since I got out of high school, so it's probably going to continue being that way," Mockobee said.

Now that he's back, Conard is challenging his top running back to take the next step in his football journey. That includes Mockobee flipping the switch and acting like the standout back that he is.

"He has a quiet confidence, if that makes sense. But the best version of him is when he is out here yapping. I can hearken it back to when he was here with Tyrone. Tyrone would get everybody flowing and get Mock going, and all of a sudden, Mock is raising his game to match Tyrone's energy," Conard said.

"Act like you're that guy. I got no problem, I'd rather pull you back than push you forward, you know. And for him, it's just flipping that switch and just being an alpha, an alpha-alpha, leadership. And I think that if he will allow himself to do that and make people uncomfortable around him, then I think he will get to that next step, which I think he needs to do to give himself a chance to play on Sunday," Conard said.

Purdue could greatly benefit from Mockobee adopting that mindset and taking his game to another level, where he's already among the top running backs in program history statistically.

For the last two years, Mockobee was flanked by running mates Tyrone Tracy Jr. in 2023 and Reggie Love III. The Boilermakers found Mockobee another experienced tailback to form a veteran duo in the backfield for a third season, Virginia Tech transfer Malachi Thomas.

Thomas has been dealing with an ankle injury he sustained with the Hokies, holding him out of action this spring, but the fifth-year senior is making an impact as a leader in the meeting rooms and the sidelines.

"You can tell that he has played four years of high level football, right? He comes prepared every day. He's in his playbook. He knows the offense. I asked him to do some things with the younger guys. 'Hey, go make sure you're coaching them up,' so to speak. You know, he gives tips and pointers to Antonio, to Jaheim, even Mock," Conard said. "He has the right presence, the right personality, that fits in our room, and I'm excited to get him back on the field and do some things for us."

Conard sees Thomas as the perfect compliment to what the Boilermakers already had in the backfield and hopes to see that materialize into another weapon for the offense by the time the fall rolls around.

Beyond the veteran tandem of Mockobee and Thomas, Conard has a trio of young and talented running backs that he has been pleased with through three weeks of spring practice, all of which have shown signs of progress.

One of the biggest surprises of the spring thus far has been redshirt freshman running back Antonio Harris, who has gone from little known walk-on, to a guy that's been getting reps with the first team offense. Harris showcased the massive leaps in his game during Purdue's scrimmage on Friday, ripping a huge run of 50+ yards.

"Antonio Harris has been pleasant surprise," Conard said while giving some applause. "I think I knew that he had the talent, and he has put in the work, and he shows up every day, and every day he gets better. He is stacking bricks, man. He is a confident kid. He runs with great rhythm, high football IQ, he's changed his body, walking around in 205. He can do all the things we ask him to do in the scheme."

The other returning tailback turning heads is sophomore Jaheim Merriweather, who is perhaps the most talented in Conard's room. The 6-foot-2 speedster is a potential weapon for the Boilermakers that Conard is looking to unlock, beginning this spring.

"He's maturing. That's the biggest kicker with him. His talent, his ceiling is way up here. It's him learning how to work the way Coach Odom expects him to work every day. And we've got to get that last 10% out of him. And if we do, we got a special, special room," Conard said.

The final of the trio is bright eyed freshman Ziaire Stevens, who was one of two running backs signed in the 2025 class in December. Stevens is still finding his footing in West Lafayette, but Conard was excited to see how he would perform in the Boilermakers' scrimmage on Friday. The rookie tailback flashed with a 20-yard touchdown run during the intra-squad match.

"Exactly what I thought he would be, little bowling ball, strong as can be. Head spinninng a little bit right now, but the game is slowing down. I'm glad we have a scrimmage coming up so that he can get some real experience and kind of feel the game and what it's like to just be out there on your own," Conard said.

Purdue is also set to welcome incoming freshman Jaron Thomas into the fold this summer, which will round out an intriguing group for the Boilermakers, and one that could be heavily featured in Josh Henson's new offense in West Lafayette.