College notes: pair of top RBs staying put; rising CB not … This is the time of year when college underclassmen start making noises about entering the upcoming draft. But they all don’t. And one who is not is Minnesota RB Mohamed Ibrahim who announced earlier today that he would be staying in school in 2022. The 5-10, 210-pound Ibrahim, the Big Ten’s RB of the year last fall, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Minnesota’s season opener against Ohio State and hasn’t played since. In that game, Ibrahim had shredded the now 2nd ranked Buckeyes’ defense for 163 yards and 2 TDs on 30 carries in less than three full quarters of play. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, the 3rd leading rusher in college football so far this fall, hasn’t been quite as definite, but is hinting that he will return to the Orange next fall, although he will be talking over his options with his family once the season ends before making a final decision. For the record, Tucker, a track star in high school who has already broken Joe Morris’ 43-year-old school single-season rushing record this fall, is only a true sophomore who won’t be draft eligible until 2023, but has faced some pressure to transfer to a better program. At the same time, LSU sophomore CB Eli Ricks is likely transferring after he entered his name in the transfer portal earlier this week. Ricks, a former top-50 recruit emerged as one of the best young corners in the country in 2020 when he intercepted four passes and made some All-America teams, but was limited to just 6 games this fall because of a shoulder issue that ultimately required surgery. Ricks, a Florida native, could very well end up back in the state at one of its big-time programs.
