Barika Kpeenu

Barika (buh-REE-kuh) Kpeenu (PEN-noo) grew up in West Fargo, N.D., with his parents (Prince and Endurance), who immigrated from Nigeria. He has two sisters (Leziga and Vurebari), and his younger brother (Barry) is a rising sophomore running back at North Dakota State. Barika Kpeenu enrolled at Sheyenne High School in West Fargo, where he was a three-year starting running back and linebacker. As a senior captain, he earned all-state honors, with 1,489 all-purpose yards (also lettered in basketball and track). A three-star recruit, he was the 87th-ranked running back in the 2021 class. His first Division I scholarship offer arrived, from his hometown North Dakota State, after his junior season. He committed in April 2020. Kpeenu received a late offer from Iowa State but stayed loyal to his NDSU commitment. After sharing running back duties most of his career (and playing through a knee injury in 2024), he became the team’s lead back as a senior and eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, while scoring 20 rushing touchdowns (fourth most in the FCS). Kpeenu doesn’t have a large frame but is well put together with packed-on muscle mass. He is a controlled athlete, with good vision and aggressiveness on inside-zone runs. He can cut laterally and bounce between gaps but has some stiffness in his core. His toughness shows in the red zone, in his ability to grind out yards and find paydirt. He is a reliable pass catcher (20 receptions on 20 targets in 2025), although his pass-pro reps were inconsistent on tape, because of uneven technique. Overall, Kpeenu isn’t the most explosive or creative back in this class, but he has a good feel for run-lane development and finishes with contact balance and toughness. His game is reminiscent of Jerome Ford.