MORE 2020 WALK-ONS: QB Jack Albers | LB Hayden Ellinger | LB Zac Tuinei | OL Gus German | QB Andrew Hobson | K Edward Dellinger
Purdue may have landed a diamond-in-the-rough in running back Caleb Lahey, a preferred walk-on who committed last week.
"(The relationship with Purdue) started this past summer when I went to a camp there," said Lahey. "I talked to the coaches a little bit and saw the facilities. And I liked it ever since.
"The running backs coach (Chris Barclay) liked me. I went back for a game late in the fall. Had a good time. Then he wanted me to come up for a visit (earlier this month). I did that. I always loved the school and I always wanted to go Division I. I always thought Purdue was a great school for me."
Lahey played at tiny Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin High School in Bismarck, Ill., a Class 2A school with an enrollment of 380. The 5-10, 210-pound Lahey helped lead his school to a 9-2 mark in 2019, losing in the second round of the playoffs.
He played on the varsity all four seasons, running for over 1,000 yards each of the last three seasons. As a senior, Lahey ran 153 times for 1,321 yards and 22 TDs. He finished his career with a school-record 4,887 yards on 557 carries, averaging 8.8 yards per carry with 70 touchdowns. Lahey had 21 games with 100 or more yards.
"I like to say that I have my own style," said Lahey, who said schools like Aurora, Western Illinois and Davenport University had interest in him. "I like to pattern my game off Walter Payton. He’s my favorite running back ever. He’s agile and he’s fast. But he also can run you over. I am just an aggressive runner."
Lahey says his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is underrated. His strength? It's legit, as he says he boasts a 500-pound squat and a 350-pound bench. This spring, he will participate in track, running the 100-meter dash and throwing the shot put.
Lahey was a two-time Champaign News-Gazette All-Area offensive first-team pick as a sophomore in 2017 and a junior in 2018. In 2019, he made the second-team offense.
Making Lahey’s accomplishments more impressive is the fact he suffered a torn ACL as a sophomore in 2017.
Lahey also made 41 tackles as a senior playing linebacker in high school in Bismarck, which is roughly 45 minutes east of Champaign, Ill., just north of Danville, Ill.
"I look forward to the opportunity at Purdue and am excited," said Lahey.
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