From UAB walk-on to Big Ten back, Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. bet on himself — and won

When Lee Beebe Jr. showed up at a summer camp at UAB in 2022, there was no scholarship waiting for him.

No hype, no stars next to his name, no fallback plan. Just a pair of cleats, quiet confidence and the belief that if someone — anyone — gave him a shot, he’d run with it.

Three years later, Beebe’s journey has taken him from walk-on long shot to Big Ten running back at Indiana — a story stitched together by grit, faith and an unshakable refusal to quit. Beebe’s path to the Big Ten didn’t come through the traditional route — it came through the back door, by sheer force of will.

It started nearly 400 miles south, under a scorching Alabama sun, at a UAB summer camp where he showed up without an offer, without a safety net and without a backup plan.

“If I would never have gotten my walk-on offer, what was my backup plan? There was none,” Beebe said. “There was none. I didn’t have a backup plan. I was really committed to walking on at UAB and just proving myself that I can play at that level — and I did.”

That belief in himself, however improbable it may have seemed to outsiders, was always rock-solid.

The Montgomery, Alabama, native had been overlooked throughout high school. He wasn’t recruited, wasn’t ranked and wasn’t handed anything. But he had something just as valuable — relentless grit and a love for the game that couldn’t be measured by star ratings.

He earned a walk-on spot at UAB in 2022 and, a year later, a scholarship. That’s when things started to click. After a redshirt freshman season that saw him flash in limited action against Alabama A&M, Beebe broke out in 2023 with 360 yards on 52 carries and four touchdowns.

By 2024, he was the starting back, amassing 885 rushing yards and another 219 receiving. Quietly and methodically, he had gone from invisible to indispensable.

After his breakout year, Beebe entered the transfer portal — not out of dissatisfaction, but out of ambition. This time, the recruiters came calling.

“It was new for me,” Beebe said. “I was getting a lot of exposure that I didn’t get in high school, because I really wasn’t recruited too much. It was a big change. I was thrilled and everything.”

Among the programs vying for his services, it was Indiana that stood out — not for flash, but for fit. Head coach Curt Cignetti and his staff, particularly running backs coach John Miller, made an impression that went beyond X’s and O’s.

“I really just like the people and the atmosphere here,” Beebe said. “Coach Miller — he really sealed the deal for me. I love the way he talked. The scheme that he talked about was similar to UAB, so I was like, OK, I can really adjust to it.”

Whether it’s adjusting to a lack of recruiting attention, being a walk-on, becoming a starter, or now adjusting from the American Athletic Conference to the grind of Big Ten football, Beebe doesn’t shy away from challenges. He leans into them.

Already in Bloomington, he’s attacking the transition with urgency, working to improve his blocking and game speed, and studying the nuances of the offense.

“Coach Miller wanted me to improve on my blocking because there’s always room for improvement,” Beebe said. “That’s one of the areas I wanted to personally improve. And the game speed too. The Big Ten is a different level, and I’m adjusting to that.”

He understands that making an impact in the Big Ten requires more than talent — it requires attention to detail and a relentless work ethic. For Indiana, Beebe is more than just a transfer with numbers. He’s a tone-setter, a culture guy, a living example of what’s possible when belief outweighs circumstance.

In an era of instant transfers and short attention spans, his story is one of patience, perseverance and payoff.

“The journey has definitely been fun, not gonna lie,” Beebe said, smiling. “From walking on at UAB in ’22 to here now in 2025, it has definitely been an amazing process, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. It shows my hard work and dedication — and just proving to everybody that I’m an underdog and I can do it.”