Minnesota standout running back Mohamed Ibrahim will return for the Golden Gophers' 2022 football season, he announced Wednesday.
Ibrahim, a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2020, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Minnesota's season opener Sept. 2 against Ohio State. He had rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries before being injured late in the third quarter.
"The season I'd been dreaming of ... was gone in a blink of an eye," Ibrahim said in a video posted on social media.
— Mohamed Ibrahim (@_MoIbrahim) November 24, 2021
Ibrahim is tied for fourth in team history in rushing touchdowns (33) and ranks eighth in rushing yards (3,003) despite appearing in only 29 games. The Ohio State game marked his team-record ninth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. Ibrahim earned Big Ten running back of the year honors in 2020, when he set a team record for season rushing average with 153.7 yards per game.
He was listed as the No. 7 running back for the 2022 NFL draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
Ibrahim called his rehab from the injury "the toughest thing I've ever done, physically, mentally and emotionally."
"I can't wait to be back with my brothers, my teammates, this culture, the University of Minnesota and the state," Ibrahim said.
Minnesota hosts rival Wisconsin on Saturday in the regular-season finale. The Gophers can claim the Big Ten West Division with a win over Wisconsin, an Iowa loss Friday to Nebraska and a Purdue win Saturday against Indiana.