Gophers RB Mo Ibrahim, center John Michael Schmitz named First Team All-Big Ten
Mohamed Ibrahim #24 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates his rushing touchdown against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second quarter of the game at Huntington Bank Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berdi (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - A day after 11 University of Minnesota football players earned All-Big Ten honors, seniors Mo Ibrahim and John Michael Schmitz were honored by the league.
Ibrahim and Schmitz were selected First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. Ibrahim led the Big Ten in rushing at 144.9 yards per game. He had a record of 19 straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end at Wisconsin, a 23-16 win for the Gophers. In 11 games this season, Ibrahim had 304 carries for 1,594 yards and 19 touchdowns. That's coming off a torn Achilles in the first game of the 2021 season, against Ohio State.
It's the second time in his career Ibrahim is a First-Team All-Big Ten pick. He was named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year after the 2020 season.
Ibrahim can still catch single-season and career rushing yard totals set by David Cobb and Darrell Thompson, if he chooses to play in Minnesota’s bowl game. He ran for 70 yards against the Badgers, and still needs 33 to catch Cobb’s single season record. He would need 58 yards to pass Thompson.
Ibrahim has five career 200-yard games, including rushing for a career-high 263 yards in Minnesota’s 13-10 loss to Iowa two weeks ago.
Schmitz, a sixth-year senior along with Ibrahim, anchored the Gophers’ offensive line this season that featured four new starters. He started the season on watch lists for the top center and top offensive lineman in the country. Schmitz is also among the top rated offensive linemen in the country for college football on Pro Football Focus. He's the first Gophers' center to earn First-Team All-Big Ten honors since Greg Eslinger, from 2003-05.
The Gophers averaged 218.2 rushing yards per game, which ranked No. 11 in the country.
The Gophers, after beating Wisconsin to finish the 2022 season 8-4, will learn their bowl destination on Sunday after conference championship games are played this weekend.