Big Ten Football: Minnesota Star Running Back Mohamed Ibrahim Out for Season Due to Injury
Minnesota redshirt senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim will miss the rest of the 2021 college football season after suffering a lower-leg injury in the team's 45-31 loss to Ohio State on Thursday.
Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said that Ibrahim will undergo surgery on Tuesday. He was the reigning Big Ten running back of the year and a third-team AP All-American selection in 2020.
"He's disappointed," Fleck said, per ESPN. "He's worked incredibly hard. But it's football. You can't control the injuries when you get onto the field, and you're playing in games. He's got a great sense about him right now and a great presence. He's obviously not happy with what happened, but he's been able to deal with it."
Fleck did not confirm specifics on the injury but said Ibrahim will be able to make a full recovery between four and six months. In his college career with Minnesota, Ibrahim has rushed for 3,003 yards while scoring 33 touchdowns.
Last season, he carried the ball 201 times in seven games while recording 1,076 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns. Ibrahim was the only Big Ten running back to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in 2020.
Before leaving the game against Ohio State, Ibrahim tallied 30 carries, 163 yards and two touchdowns.
"Whether he comes back or goes to the NFL, that's a choice he'll make, not now, but later," Fleck said. "He doesn't need to make it now. He needs to worry about getting healthy and making a full recovery."
