PJ Fleck updates health of running back Mohamed Ibrahim

Minnesota star running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who suffered a ruptured achilles tendon in the Golden Gophers’ 45-31 loss to Ohio State in Week 1, is well on his way to recovery, according to head coach PJ Fleck.

Ibrahim, a standout running back, was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2020, and he showed glimpses of what he’s capable of in the loss to Ohio State. Despite suffering a season-ending injury, Ibrahim still had rushed 30 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns, but his fifth season was cut short in the third quarter. But Ibrahim is making serious progress in his return, which now includes non-padded practices.

“After Achillies injury Sept. 2, #Gophers tailback Mohamed Ibrahim will take part in non-padded practices this week, then will workout pre-dawn separate from team as he observes Ramadan through spring game April 30,” Andy Greder wrote on Twitter. “He won’t see ‘true contact’ until fall camp, PJ Fleck said.”

Though it may be some time until Ibrahim gets back into full-contact practice, the news that he’s returning in any capacity is welcome news for Minnesota fans, who may not have expected the star running back to return for a sixth year.

In 2020, Ibrahim played in all seven of the Golden Gophers’ games, logging 201 carries for 1,076 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. While he adds less in the receiving game than some Big Ten tailbacks — last year, he had just eight receptions for 56 yards — Ibrahim receives extremely high usage in the ground game, notching over 30 carries three times, including a 41-carry, 207-yard, four-touchdown performance against Maryland.

Ibrahim has tallied three career 200-plus-yard rushing games, including two in a row in 2020 against Maryland and Illinois. His 163-yard performance against Ohio State, during which he suffered the injury, was his ninth consecutive game logging at least 100 rushing yards.

Ibrahim is tied for fourth in Minnesota program history in rushing touchdowns with 33, and he ranks eighth in rushing yards with 3,003 yards, despite only appearing in 29 games.

“The season I’d been dreaming of … was gone in a blink of an eye,” Ibrahim said in a video, explaining his decision to return in 2022. “I can’t wait to be back with my brothers, my teammates, this culture, the University of Minnesota and the state.”

Ibrahim, a native of Olney, Maryland, was tabbed a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and he committed to Minnesota in January of 2017. In his senior season at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, he rushed 206 times for 1,314 yards and 15 touchdowns in ten games, including 100-plus-yard performances in seven games.