Minnesota Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim has bounced back from a torn Achilles and picked up right where he left off – and now his name is in the Heisman trophy conversation.
In ESPN’s weekly “Heisman Five,” Ibrahim comes in at No. 5 behind Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and USC quarterback Caleb Wiliams.
Through three weeks, Ibraham’s 464 yards is tied for second most in the country– just 32 yards behind Illinois running back Chase Brown, who has carried the ball eight more times than Ibrahim.
Ibrahim is also tied for first in the nation with seven rushing touchdowns.
Winning the Heisman as a running back isn’t easy. In fact, since Bo Jackson won the Heisman at Auburn in 1985, only eight other Heisman winners were running backs, and only three have done it since the turn of the century.
- Derrick Henry, Alabama, 2015
- Mark Ingram, Alabama, 2009
- Reggie Bush, USC, 2005
- Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1999
- Ricky Williams, Texas, 1998
- Eddie George, Ohio State, 1995
- Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, 1994
- Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988
- Bo Jackson, Auburn, 1985
Outside of the recognition from ESPN, you won’t find Ibrahim’s name anywhere in the Heisman conversation. Vegas might not even know who he is because the current top-50 best odds does not include him in the Heisman watch.
But the numbers suggest Ibrahim deserves the recognition he’s received from ESPN. The question is if Ibrahim can maintain his pace and put up similar numbers to what those aforementioned all-time greats did in their Heisman seasons.
- Derrick Henry: 2,219 yards, 28 touchdowns
- Mark Ingram: 1,658 yards, 17 touchdowns
- Reggie Bush: 1,740 yards, 17 touchdowns
- Ron Dayne: 2,034 yards, 20 touchdowns
- Ricky Williams, 2,124 yards, 27 touchdowns
- Eddie George: 1,927 yards, 24 touchdowns
- Rashaan Salaam: 2,055 yards, 24 touchdowns
- Barry Sanders: 2,628 yards, 37 touchdowns
- Bo Jackson: 1,786 yards, 17 touchdowns
Ibrahim has nine games left in the regular season. Add in the expected bowl game and it’s ten. And it could be 11 if the Gophers win the Big Ten West and play in the Big Ten championship game.
At an average of 155 yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game, Ibrahim is on pace to finish the season with 2,014 yards and 30 touchdowns. That’s with 10 games remaining.
If the Gophers play 11 more games and he keeps up his pace, that would put him on track for 2,169 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Ibrahim has put himself in the conversation. Now it’s up to him to stay in it.
Related: 5 things that stood out in the Gophers’ win over Colorado
