Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who was lost for the season in the opener against Ohio State because of a torn Achilles' tendon, announced Wednesday that he will return to the team for the 2022 season.
Ibrahim, the 2020 Big Ten running back of the year, revealed his plans in a Twitter video Wednesday morning. He was injured during the third quarter of the Gophers' 45-31 loss to Ohio State at Huntington Bank Stadium after rushing 30 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He underwent surgery to repair the injury.
The Baltimore native will be a sixth-year senior in 2022. He was named an Associated Press third-team All-America selection in 2020 after rushing 201 times for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games. He set a school record with a rushing average of 153.7 yards per game and tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns in one game, doing so twice.
"I was pretty excited,'' Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. said of Ibrahim's return. "There were a lot of conversations happening, and Mo's a guy who keeps it close to the vest. I was hoping that's where the conversations were leading. … He's meant so much to this program.''
For his career, Ibrahim has rushed 547 times for 3,003 yards and 33 touchdowns, with 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2020. He ranks eighth in school history in rushing yards despite playing in only 29 games.
"From a football standpoint, this is the absolute correct decision because what Mo does so incredibly well is what shows up on tape,'' Sanford said, referring to Ibrahim re-establishing his NFL resume. "… He's going to have an unbelievable year next year.''
Ibrahim explained his decision in the video.
"I felt like I was living a nightmare [when the injury happened]," he said. "The season I was dreaming of all offseason was just gone in a blink of an eye. I was crushed.
