Purdue's Tyrone Tracy ready for new running back role in 2023
After five years of playing wide receiver in the Big Ten, Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy will play the game from a different vantage point this fall.
The Indianapolis product spent his first four seasons of college as an Iowa Hawkeye before returning to his home state to suit up for Purdue last fall. Though he showed flashes at wide receiver throughout his career, he never quite found the consistent production he hoped for.
To try and maximize Tracy’s skillset, Purdue will utilize the sixth-year senior at running back this season, where he spent the majority of his high school career. Tracy saw periodic snaps at running back in 2022, carrying the ball 17 times for 138 yards, and he’ll look to show off the explosiveness that led to his 8.1 yards per carry.
“A lot of people don’t understand that I’ve been playing running back ever since I was in Little League,” said Tracy. “If you watch my high school tape, it was running back stuff with very miminal receiver.”
A key role in Tracy’s move to running back came when Ryan Walters hired Lamar Conard to coach the running backs.
The relationship between the two spans nearly a decade, as Conard recruited Tracy while on staff at Illinois State as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. At his next stop, Miami (OH), Conard coached Tracy’s brothers, Kenny and Javon.
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“Him coming here was a blessing from God. I needed somebody who actually knew me, because I’m new at the position. That creates a different type of bond when I’m back there at the running back position,” Tracy said of Conard.
With a familiar coach on his side, Tracy hopes to showcase his playmaking ability in Purdue’s new-look offense in 2023. While he’ll line up in the backfield, that doesn’t necessarily mean his pass-catching abilities will go unutilized.
Tracy will undoubtedly see plenty of carries in traditional style out of the backfield. Still, he could also motion out to the slot and seek a one-on-one matchup with a linebacker as a receiver in empty backfield formations. Being used in multiple ways stood out as one of the primary discussion points with Tracy when he moved to running back.
“Coach G [offensive coordinator Graham Harrell] has a creative mind. He knows how to get his playmakers the ball in space. Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do to the best of my abilities,” said Tracy.
MORE: Purdue Football 2023 Training Camp Content Hub
