Gophers leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim is a big fan of Treyson Potts' talent, but the backup was overlooked last season with how much Ibrahim carried the load.
It was record-setting.
There were glimpses of Potts' potential in 2020, but Ibrahim finished with 201 carries in seven games, leading the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally in a pandemic-shortened year.
Never had the Gophers relied so heavily on one running back in program history. Ibrahim's 28.7 carries per game were more than the previous highs in a season from Thomas Hamner (25.6) in 1999 and Laurence Maroney (25.5) in 2005.
Ibrahim is prepared to be the Gophers' workhorse again, but having the Big Ten's top tailback fresher to finish games could be one of coach P.J. Fleck's most critical moves offensively this season.
Ibrahim believes Potts, a 5-11, 210-pound sophomore, is more than capable of taking on a bigger role.
"The guy is hungry for it right now," he said. "He's taking all the right steps to be great."
Potts was the U's No. 2 back as a redshirt freshman last season, when he finished with 130 yards on 19 attempts. He was on the verge of breaking out before suffering an injury in a Nov. 7 win at Illinois.