Draft Scout Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20 Player News, College Football: Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20

The subject came up at times in talks with Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck and running backs coach Kenni Burns during the summer. Mohamed Ibrahim is going to get plenty of attention from opposing defenses this season. "Just talking about what to expect. It's not going to be like last year or like two years ago when nobody knew who I was," said Ibrahim, the reigning Big Ten running back of the year. "People know who I am now. People know I need to take that next big step. They are going to want to stop me this year." Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman have moved on to the NFL in recent seasons. Ibrahim headlines the offense now. And he's preparing to handle anything defenses throw at him.

Ibrahim gained 1,076 yards in only seven games last season, a school-record average of 153.7 yards a game. Math can be hard, which is why some of us are writers, but this is fun math. Over a 12-game season, that's a whopping 1,844 yards. He has 2,840 yards in 28 career games. But Ibrahim, a graduate student with a degree in business and marketing, is looking for more while helping the Gophers move on from a 3-4 season. "He's workedhis tail off to transform his body even more," offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. said. "Even more stronger. Even more compact. Even more powerful. Even more twitchy. You're seeing a really, really good version ofMo." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

08/22/21 - Chris Autman-Bell, rSr/2024, Minnesota, 6-0, 203 (DS#108 WR) + More +

After seeing their top wide receiver, Chris Autman-Bell, leave Thursday night's practice at Huntington Bank Stadium because of a right leg injury, the Gophers received some good news Monday. Autman-Bell's injury is a week-to-week issue, not a long-term one, coach P.J. Fleck said on KFXN-FM. "He's one of the toughest kids we have on this football team," Fleck said, without going into specifics on the injury. "...He's week to week. He's doing great...We'll get him back here very shortly. He'll be in and out of some practices here and there...This is not a long-term issue, so everybody take a big, deep breath." Fleck considered the diagnosis a relief. "Absolutely. Any time a young man gets hurt, you think worst-case scenario, and you think, 'Please tell me best-case scenario," he said. "There was a lot of different things they checked...We're fortunate that it is what it is." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#108 WR) rSr/2024

WR Chris Autman-Bell, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

08/17/21 - Coney Durr, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 5-09, 194 (DS#87 CB) + More +

Going into the first week of Gophers football training camp, Coney Durr tweeted to his former college teammate Rashod Bateman about how he missed "going at it" with him in practice. Bateman is a rookie wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens. Durr could have pursued his NFL dreams, but he is entering his sixth season as a Gophers defensive back. He says he got asked ad nauseam during the offseason about why he returned to college. "I feel like last year was basically not really a real year," Durr said. "So, I felt like coming back with the same group of guys. Most of the guys are back. Just competing for a Big Ten championship, ultimately a national championship would kind of wrap off my career."

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound native of Baton Rouge, La., was a legitimate NFL prospect as a three-year starter with a combined 93 tackles and four interceptions since 2018, when he came back from a knee injury. In the Gophers' final game in 2020, Durr recorded four tackles and an interception in the Dec. 19 loss against Wisconsin. Fellow senior starting cornerback Benjamin St-Juste declared for the draft the following day. Durr wondered if he should make the same decision, but he posted on social media soon afterwards that he wasn't ready to leave due to "unfinished business." "It was really tough," Durr said. "It was kind of stressful, but ultimately I made the right decision." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#87 CB) rSr/2022

CB Coney Durr, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

08/14/21 - Jack Gibbens, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-3, 242 (DS#43 ILB) + More +

With a bachelor's degree in the double major of accounting and finance in hand, Jack Gibbens left Abilene Christian University last winter ready for a challenge. No, he wasn't off to start a career at a Big Four accounting firm. Instead, he still had some football business to finish. "Everybody on an FCS school wants to prove they can play at this level,'' Gibbens said. This level is Football Bowl Subdivision, and Gibbens, a three-year starter at linebacker for Abilene Christian, a Football Championship Subdivision program, joined the Gophers as a graduate transfer and wants to show he belongs. He had 258 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in four seasons with the Wildcats. Now, he's aiming to bolster a Gophers linebacker group that took its lumps in 2020.

"They were looking to add depth and experience in the linebacker room,'' Gibbens said of the Gophers coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. "There's a bunch of guys in there who are really talented but really young. We had a ton of guys who had great springs, and we're going to play a lot of guys at that spot." The Gophers' gain at linebacker was Abilene Christian's loss, and Gibbens' defensive coordinator with the Wildcats, Clint Brown, believes Minnesota is getting an outstanding player. "He was a guy who didn't ever want to come off the field,'' said Brown, formerly the defensive coordinator at South Dakota State. "He loved practice, and you never had to worry about him showing up and being down. He was a really good vocal leader, too, which comes pretty easy when you have the work ethic. When you put that work in, people are going to listen to you." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#43 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

08/07/21 - Daniel Faalele, Sr/2022, Minnesota, 6-8, 390 (DS#7 OT) + More +

Daniel Faalele's size has always seemed mythological, but now it's a little less so, and that's a good thing for the Gophers football team. Since the Australian offensive lineman came to Minnesota in 2018, he has been associated with an otherworldly 400 pounds and a height that stretches toward 6 feet, 9 inches. During coronavirus, he said he was up to 405. Just some you-got-to-be-kidding-me numbers.

Now going into his fourth year, the right tackle from Australia has shed 25 to 30 pounds to get down to the 375-380 range - which is still pretty insane and undoubtedly enormous. His somewhat slimmed-down size is expected to make the mountain of a man more mobile in pass protection or out in space zone blocking. Faalele opted out of the U's 2020 season out of concerns on contracting COVID-19. But he's back on the field and motivated as the Gophers opened fall camp Wednesday. "I just want to be as dominant as much as possible," Faalele told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. "… I want to win games, and I missed that feeling of competition." The NFL will be closely watching him play this fall. - Pioneer Press

(DS#7 OT) Sr/2022

OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
Share/Comment: Here

08/06/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

There isn't much more the Gophers football team could ask Mo Ibrahim to do in the ground game after he led the Big Ten in rushing last season. Ibrahim, though, has been working extra hard on improving his pass catching this summer. So much so that one teammate jokingly hinted at a position switch for the All-America tailback as the Gophers open training camp this week. "I just want to first start out by saying, 'Shout out, Mo. One of the newest members of the wideouts," senior wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell said at Tuesday's news conference. Without a primary target like NFL first-round pick Rashod Bateman this year, the Gophers are looking to spread the wealth around in the passing game. That means arguably the nation's best running back could be used even more as a receiver.

Ibrahim, a 5-10, 210-pound senior, ranked second in the nation with 153.7 yards rushing per game in 2020, but he caught only eight passes for 56 yards in seven games. "Mo's not just a ground and pounder," Autman-Bell said. "Mo is everything. I believe he's going to show that this year coming up. So, he's been working on nothing but his hands this whole offseason. His routes and his break points. So, I think he's going to show you guys he can be more of a receiver this year." Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan smiled when asked about Ibrahim as a receiving threat to potentially make the offense more explosive. "Definitely," Morgan said. "Obviously, he's a special running back, but he's even more than that. He's got great hands, and he can run routes at a high level. He's definitely more unique than a lot of people have seen.He can do a lot of things; he's very talented. He's obviously, I think, the best running back in the country. He can catch - for real. He's got really good hands." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

07/25/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Minnesota running back Mo Ibrahim was announced Thursday as a member of Team IFA for branding and marketing opportunities during the name, image and likeness era. "Mo Money joined the family," the agency said. "Time to hit the ground running #TeamIFA." The Minneapolis-based agency has a few recent Gophers players under its roof, including Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Blake Cashman. Ibrahim was one of five players named to the Big Ten West honor roll Thursday. - Pioneer Press

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
Share/Comment: Here

07/25/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Tanner Morgan has a video on his phone taken recently with his father, who in that moment found enough strength and clarity to deliver a message so typical of him. No excuses when you get back to school, Ted Morgan told his son. Even as he faced death, Ted was thinking of his son and holding him accountable. "It's pretty powerful," the Gophers senior quarterback said this week. Morgan will be in Indianapolis on Thursday representing the Gophers at Big Ten media days, an annual kickoff to the college football season. He goes there after losing his father last week. Ted was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in spring 2020 and had surgery to remove it at Mayo Clinic. His recovery and scans had been encouraging to doctors, but the tumor returned this spring and his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Ted never wanted to know how much time he had left - even when doctors told the rest of his family - because he felt at peace in his faith. That's the lesson that Morgan holds dear and intends to share anytime he talks about his dad. His dad was always a Christian, but his faith became deeply rooted after his diagnosis. He devoted himself completely. Gophers senior quarterback Tanner Morgan says he could always count on his father, Ted, "to point me back in the right direction." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

07/24/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Big Ten reporters predict the Gophers football team will finish in the middle of the pack in 2021. Minnesota was picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Big Ten West division this fall, according to the annual cleveland.com poll released Wednesday. The poll of 34 reporters named Ohio State, the U's opponent to open the 2021 season, as the unanimous pick to win the East division. Voters selected Wisconsin to win the West with 29 first-place votes; Iowa took the other five top votes. The Buckeyes, who will start a new quarterback who has yet to throw a collegiate pass, were picked to beat the Badgers or Hawkeyes on all but one ballots. A single voter picked Wisconsin to top Ohio State. - Pioneer Press

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
Share/Comment: Here

07/09/21 - Jason Williamson, rSo/2024, Minnesota, 6-2, 210 (DS#999 RB) + More +

Jason Williamson, the 2018 Minnesota Mr. Football award winner for Owatonna, has medically retired from the Gophers. The 6-2 Williamson rushed for 3,012 yards and 46 touchdowns over his career at Owatonna, leading the Huskies to two state titles, and committed to Gophers coach P.J. Fleck as part of the 2019 recruiting class. But Williamson battled through knee and shoulder injuries with the Gophers, playing in just two games. The medical retirement allows Williamson to remain on scholarship, while the Gophers can award a scholarship to another player. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#999 RB) rSo/2024

RB Jason Williamson, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

06/17/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who has rushed for more than 2,800 yards in his collegiate career, on Thursday was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America first team. Ibrahim, a redshirt senior from Baltimore, was the Big Ten running back of the year and a third-team Associated Press All-America selection in 2020 after rushing 201 times for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games, averaging 153.7 yards per contest. All of those figures led the Big Ten, as did his 90 points, 12.9 points per game and 168.4 all-purpose yards per game. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

05/27/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Morgan enters 2021 with an 18-8 mark as the Gophers' starting quarterback and will leave as one of the program's most accomplished passers. His 6,028 career passing yards are already sixth in school history, and he is only 1,419 yards away from taking over the No. 2 spot. He had arguably the best season in Minnesota history in 2019 with 30 touchdowns and 66 percent accuracy, both top single-season marks. But he will need to improve after only completing 58 percent of his passes last season and throwing almost as many interceptions (five) as he did in all of 2019 (seven) while attempting 135 fewer passes. A big reason why Minnesota only went 3-4 last year. - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

05/27/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Gophers star running back Mohamed Ibrahim joked around during the U's spring game May 1 by dressing up as head coach P.J. Fleck. Instead of pads and a helmet, he took on Fleck's semi-formal attire on game days: a necktie and a quarter-length zip-up and accessory of sunglasses. Minnesota's fourth-year running back was out for the game as he observed Ramadan, and the reigning Big Ten running back of the year has little to prove on the field in an intra-squad setup anyway. Plus, given how Fleck plans to liberally use Ibrahim again in the 2021 season, the less wear and tear the better. In previous years at Minnesota, Fleck has prescribed to the theory of having a "pair and a spare" in the backfield, and fostering that depth served him well with combinations of Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks, Kobe McCrary, then Bryce Williams and Ibrahim entering the mix.

Fleck didn't spread the workload around in 2020 and won't plan on doing that much of it again in 2021. "I've gotten that question a few times," Fleck said Tuesday about a query on Ibrahim's workload. "Mo's going to play. It's not like, 'All right, Mo. Now that you've done all this stuff, it's your last year and we're only going to give you so many carries.' That's not going to happen. He's going to carry the load." Ibrahim led the nation with 28.7 carries per game in 2020. In a shortened seven-game season, he had a staggering 201 rushes for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had eight receptions for 56 yards. "He's one of the best players in college football, and you want him to continue to be one of the best players in college football," Fleck said. "He's what makes your team really good, and your best players when they're on the field make you better. So, he's going to play." - Pioneer Press

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
Share/Comment: Here

05/02/21 - Jack Gibbens, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-3, 242 (DS#43 ILB) + More +

The influx of talent from the trio of transfers should help, starting with Gibbens, a 6-4, 240-pounder who had 258 tackles, including 22.5 for loss and seven sacks, along with five interceptions in four seasons at Abilene Christian. The Wildcats played Virginia last November, and Rossi saw on film that Gibbens could play at the next level. "He's shown me he's everything we've expected, and maybe even a little more," Rossi said. "No. 1, he's a great human being. No. 2, he's super smart - a 4.0 undergrad. He's big...And he can run. He's definitely added to the group." When the Gophers recruiting staff forwarded Gibbens' name, Rossi became intrigued. Then coach P.J. Fleck was quickly sold.

"We sicced Coach on him, and he was like, 'I want him!...Let's offer him. Let's go,'?" Rossi said. "He committed 24 hours later." Fleck is impressed with Gibbens' mental approach and how it's helping fellow linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin. "A smart player is a better player. He can process information really quickly, he's learned our entire defense, he's responded really well," Fleck said. "There's a big difference between working hard and competing, and he competes every single play. That rubs off on everybody else. His leadership, the way he plays is infectious. Him and Mariano are kind of connected at the hip." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#43 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

05/01/21 - *Rashod Bateman, Jr/2021, Minnesota, 6-0, 190 (DS#6 WR) + More +

Soon, Rashod Bateman will be catching passes from 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night selected Bateman, a highly productive wide receiver for the Gophers, with the 27th pick of the first round of the NFL draft. Bateman is the Gophers' first first-round draft pick since running back Laurence Maroney in 2006, and he'll join a team that has advanced to the AFC playoffs for three consecutive years. "I can't even put it into words right now," Bateman said during a video conference after he was picked. "Obviously, I look up to Lamar a lot. To be a teammate, I know I'll learn a lot from him. I'm just excited to get to work with him."

Bateman, the fifth receiver selected in the first round, believes he's ready to make an immediate impact with Baltimore. The Ravens were last in the NFL with 182.4 passing yards per game last season, and Bateman joins a team whose top receiving targets are Marquise Brown (58 catches, 769 yards, eight touchdowns last year) and free-agent signee Sammy Watkins (37 catches, 421 yards, two TDs with Kansas City last year). - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#6 WR) Jr/2021

WR *Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Share/Comment: Here

Previous 15 Notes

|Back to Page One|

Next 15 Notes

Warning: Undefined array key "TeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 56

Warning: Undefined array key "DSTeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 57

Minnesota Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

** Draft Scout Data **
(Everything Online PLUS)

Support Draft Scout

The Database Engine for NFLDraftScout.com, Draft Scout is being repurposed...Support the Future Development of ScoutNation.com...

Draft Scout Archives

** 2010-2022 Draft Scout Archives **
(Yearly Player Data Exports, Prospect Lists & More)

Draft Scout Future

100% Dedicated and Never Done

80% Innovated

45% Hidden

35% Built

2025 CFB/2025-2029 NFL Draft Scout

2024 CFB/2024-2028 NFL Draft Scout

2023 CFB/2024-2027 NFL Draft Scout

NFL Draft Scout History

2022 Draft Scout

Draft Scout by Conference

2023 Draft Scout Offense

2023 Draft Scout Defense

2022 Draft Scout Offense

2022 Draft Scout Defense

Minnesota Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

Support Draft Scout

Draft Scout Archives

Draft Scout Future

Synergization

Did You Know?

Hidden Designs

Future Development