NEW YORK — Kirk Ciarrocca saw the potential during "Sunday Night Football'' scrimmages in 2017, when a Gophers freshman running back commanded the attention of the offensive coordinator.
Joe Rossi realized "Mo's the man'' when the defensive coordinator did some bye-week scouting of Minnesota's offense in 2019.
And for linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, the exuberant "Top of the morning!'' greetings from Mohamed Ibrahim provided a jolt of energy during winter workouts and foretold the impact that the running back would have on teammates and the program.
Ibrahim, a sixth-year senior from Baltimore, presumably will play his final collegiate game when the Gophers face Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. The second-team All-America selection will have the chance to break both Minnesota's career and single-season rushing records and stamp himself as the most productive running back in Gophers history.
With 4,597 career rushing yards, Ibrahim needs 58 to break Darrell Thompson's career record of 4,654, set from 1986-89. With 1,594 rushing yards this season, Ibrahim needs 33 more to surpass David Cobb's single-season record of 1,626.
"I love him, and I respect him,'' said Thompson, a radio analyst for the Gophers on KFXN-FM. "I'm really happy that he's able to break the record. It's an honor. You tip your hat and pass the torch.''
And remember, this climb is coming from someone who's a year removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, an injury that's often career-ending for running backs. Instead of tiptoeing through a final season, Ibrahim took it head-on, collecting 1,065 yards after contact this year, according to Pro Football Focus College. He was named one of three winners of the Comeback Player of the Year award by the College Football Communicators.
"I'm willing to do whatever to help this team win,'' said Ibrahim, who has played 40 career games to Thompson's 44. "I let it be known. That's a big reason why I came back. I understood what we wanted to accomplish as a team. You always asked me how many carries it takes — it don't matter. I'm gonna keep fighting for my team.''
Knowing that Ibrahim's career with the Gophers is about to end, coach P.J. Fleck reflected on what Ibrahim has meant to him.
"I am honored to coach that kid,'' Fleck said. "... The hardest part about this is that this is the last 36 hours I have with him. And that's really difficult.''
Unheralded recruit
When Fleck took the Gophers coaching job in January 2017, he had to assemble a recruiting class on the fly. Included in the 26-player group were former Western Michigan commits-turned-future Gophers stalwarts John Michael Schmitz, Tanner Morgan and Chris Autman-Bell. Ibrahim, a prep standout at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., quickly committed. Though the 5-10, 210-pounder was given a two-star rating by one national recruiting service, Fleck saw more than stature and stars.
"We've talked about he's the king of the toos — too small, too short, too slow, too everything,'' Fleck said. "I haven't seen a guy earn more respect on a team than Mohamed Ibrahim throughout his career. And he's had to earn everything he's gotten.''
Earning it with the Gophers began in 2017, when Ibrahim spent a redshirt year as a practice player on the scout team. There were, however, weekly opportunities for him to get noticed — the "Sunday Night Football'' practice sessions in which reserves battled reserves, often with upperclassmen helping coach the team.
"I noticed his acceleration into the hole. I noticed his pad level and that he was always falling forward,'' Ciarrocca said. "He still didn't understand the blocking schemes yet, but those two traits right there made me say, 'Hmm, this guy's got a legitimate chance at some point.' ''
Rossi saw Ibrahim's potential early, too.
"We knew when he was on the scout team,'' Rossi said. "He's hurting us and gashing us in 2017.''
In 2018, the opponents experienced the hurting and gashing as Ibrahim compiled his first of three 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Gophers by filling in for injured upperclassmen Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. Ibrahim carried 202 times for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns, saving his best for last. In the 37-15 win at Wisconsin in which the Gophers ended the Badgers' 14-year hold on Paul Bunyan's Axe, Ibrahim rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, besting Wisconsin superstar Jonathan Taylor by a yard.
Ibrahim followed up with a dominant performance against Georgia Tech in a 34-10 rout in which he earned MVP honors after rushing 31 times for 224 yards and two TDs. "He was the hammer the entire game,'' Fleck said.
The hammer became more of a complementary tool in the 2019 season with the return to health of Smith and Brooks. Ibrahim averaged only 10.4 carries in his first nine games of the season but finished with a flourish by rushing 20 times for 140 yards in the 31-24 win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
“I haven't seen a guy earn more respect on a team than Mohamed Ibrahim throughout his career. And he's had to earn everything he's gotten.”
Ibrahim became the focal point of the Gophers offense in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, when he rushed for 1,076 yards and 15 TDs in only seven games and was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
Ibrahim's ability to shoulder so much of the offensive burden isn't lost on Thompson, who played 60 games over five seasons in the NFL.
"There's no way his shoulder doesn't hurt, his arm doesn't hurt, his ankle doesn't hurt,'' Thompson said. "… He goes out and proves it.''
Remarkable recovery
Ibrahim was on his way to a performance for the ages in the 2021 season opener against Ohio State. He had 162 yards and two TDs on 29 carries late in the third quarter but suffered a rupture of his left Achilles tendon on his 30th carry. Just like that, his promising season was over.
Thompson, though, wasn't surprised that Ibrahim returned strong this season. Ibrahim attacked his rehab with gusto, passed early tests during the nonconference season and stretched his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 19 this year. "There's nothing better than just, 'I'm going to hand the ball to this guy, and he's going to make something happen,' '' Thompson said.
Rossi concurs. The Gophers rank fifth nationally in total defense (yards allowed) this season and were third in 2021. The running game keeping the chains moving does wonders for a defense.
"I like sitting up in the [coaches] box, we get a long drive and Mo's stuffing it down people's throats,'' Rossi said. "The best defense is the defense that's not playing.''
Rossi sees a future for Ibrahim at the next level. While he might not possess breakaway speed, his vision and intelligence are key assets.
"I know some guys who coach defense in the league, and they're like, 'This guy is the guy, the best guy — the best guy,' '' Rossi said. "… He's going to have a bright career because he makes something out of nothing. Some guys need space. Some guys want to slash and bounce things. You don't bounce things in the NFL. If you bounce things in the NFL, your career is short. You've got to be able to create, you've got to be able to set up blocks, you've got to be able to get things when things aren't there. That's Mo.''
Rossi won't get an argument from Ciarrocca.
"He's meant everything to the program and everything to me,'' the offensive coordinator said. "He's the best back I've ever coached and been around. I feel lucky to have been around him.''
