When Kirk Ciarrocca returned to the Gophers as offensive coordinator in early December, he was back with a team that had a potential embarrassment of riches at running back in 2022.
Mohamed Ibrahim, a third-team All-America honoree in 2020, was on the mend from an Achilles' tendon injury that ended his 2021 season in the opener. Trey Potts was back with the team after an undisclosed injury caused him to be hospitalized for six days in October. And two freshmen who stepped up and combined to rush for 1,523 yards and 10 touchdowns, Ky Thomas and Mar'Keise Irving, looked to be a formidable thunder-and-lightning duo for the future.
A lot can change in four months.
Thomas, the offensive MVP after rushing for 144 yards in the Gophers' Guaranteed Rate Bowl win over West Virginia, put his name in the NCAA's transfer portal six days after the bowl game and ended up at Kansas. On Friday, Irving announced his intention to enter his name in the transfer portal.
With spring practice a little more than a week old, the Gophers are adjusting to the changes at running backs, and Ciarrocca is confident things will work out.
"I don't worry because they're in great hands with Kenni Burns,'' Ciarrocca said, referring to the Gophers running back coach. "They'll continue to get better every day.''
* Ibrahim, the 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the Year, is trying to return to the form that saw him average 153.7 rushing yards per game in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. During spring practice, he's working out before dawn on his own and working on the sideline during practice as he observes the Islamic holiday of Ramadan in which he'll fast from sunup to sundown each day.
* Potts took over as the Gophers feature back last year after Ibrahim's injury, rushing for 552 yards and six TDs in five games. He has not been cleared for contact but has looked sharp in non-contact practice reps.
* Fifth-year player Bryce Williams started three games last year before suffering a lower-leg injury and missing the final five games of the season. He's back healthy.
"Mo and Trey are doing fine,'' Ciarrocca said. "Bryce is doing fine. They're all getting better.''
With Ibrahim and Potts limited, the bulk of the carries during Tuesday's practice that was open to the media went to Williams, redshirt freshman Jordan Nubin, redshirt sophomore Kendall Moore and true freshman Zach Evans.
An early enrollee out of Rockwall-Heath (Texas) High School, the 5-10, 205-pound Evans quickly has caught his coordinator's attention.
"The kid I didn't know anything about was the freshman, Zach,'' Ciarrocca said. "I'm very, very impressed with his potential, how good a back he might be able to be someday.''
Evans, rated as the No. 10 running back in the nation in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, might get a chance to fill the void left by the departures of Thomas and Irving. Evans' high school resume is impressive, with a 1,957-yard, 26-TD performance as a senior and 3,971 yards in his final three seasons.
"I'm very excited about that group,'' said Gophers center John Michael Schmitz, a sixth-year senior and lone returning 2021 starter on the offensive line. "You've got Mo, a great leader at the top of that room. You've got a couple guys coming back. And Zach Evans is definitely a guy to look out for.''
