Woah! The college football world never stops amazing its fans. Here comes another big news. An All-Time great player is all set to step into the coaching world. Sounds interesting right? Well, he is only 26-years-old. Guesses? We are talking about the former Minnesota Golden Gophers star running back Mohamed Ibrahim. Did he have a long chapter in the NFL?
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Ibrahim is coming off strong and fresh after his 1-game NFL stint. And who is the lucky program to have the young chap with the NFL tag? It’s none other than the Kent State Golden Flashes.
How Mohamed Ibrahim’s coaching path is shaping up
The 2024 season had not been Golden Flashes season. Just like the way the past 10 seasons have been. Yes, you read that right. Kent State solidified itself as the worst football team in the FBS on Nov. 26 with a 43-7 Mid-American Conference loss to Buffalo. The 2024 season marked their 11th winless season in program history and first 0-12 regular-season record. Prior to that, they went four 0-11 seasons before, most recently in 1993. Now what about their ranking? The Golden Flashes were ranked 134th and last in the FBS since Week 3. So they needed someone who might flip their narrative for the better. That’s when Ibrahim has been counted on.
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Ibrahim helped coach running backs at Minnesota this year. Ibrahim is a two-time First-Team All-Big Ten RB who is the Big Ten’s No. 10 all-time leading rusher with 4,668 yards. He rushed for 53 touchdowns, which is a school record.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 23, 2025
ESPN Insider Pete Thamel wrote on January 22, “Ibrahim helped coach running backs at Minnesota this year. Ibrahim is a two-time First-Team All-Big Ten RB who is the Big Ten’s No. 10 all-time leading rusher with 4,668 yards. He rushed for 53 touchdowns, which is a school record.” Well, Ibrahim is called the all-time great for a reason. During parts of five seasons as the lead back in Dinkytown, the phenom ran for 4,000 plus yards.
In an earlier tweet, Thamel wrote, “Sources: Former Minnesota star tailback Mohamed Ibrahim is expected to become the running backs coach at Kent State. The move will re-unite him with his college position coach, Kenni Burns, who recruited him to Minnesota and coached him there.” It has been two years since Mark Watson joined as Golden Flashes’ running back coach in January 2023 after serving three seasons as WR coach in Illinois. Well, we don’t know what might propel the program to get rid of Watson.
However, it’s an absolute WIN-WIN situation for Ibrahim. It is going to be a big reunion. Now what a privilege for Ibrahim to be on the same coaching roster with the one who recruited him to the Golden Gophers in 2018. That’s none other than Kenni Burns, Kent State’s associate HC. Meanwhile, how could we forget how Ibrahim has beaten all odds to reach this spot?
Mohamed Ibrahim’s determination to rise above adversity
Ibrahim hass kept it short and sweet in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings were looking to add some depth to their squad. That’s when they counted on the former Golden Gophers player. Back in August 2024, they signed the running back along with his fellow mate, offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga. Before that, in 2023, the Detroit Lions signed the running back as an undrafted free agent. However, all throughout his career, he had faced multiple roadblocks.
After all, not to forget his career has been plagued with injuries as he had a couple of setbacks. Just when Ibrahim was all pumped to give his best during the Gophers season opener in 2021, the running back suffered a season-ending achilles injury. After joining the Detroit Lions he suffered another injury during a preseason game and regular season game.
However, he returned and was activated for an October 22 regular season game vs the Baltimore Ravens. Even in the third quarter of that contest, the running back was injured while taking a kick return and carted off the field. That was the only NFL game he ever played in. But look at him today. Mohamed Ibrahim finally overcame all the obstacles. What he couldn’t achieve as a player, he’s determined to pass on as a mentor.
Written by
Edited by
Reyan Mishra