Football
- Title:
- Running Backs
- Email:
- rachid.ibrahim@richmond.edu
Rachid Ibrahim joined Russ Huesman’s staff as running backs coach in March 2024. Ibrahim comes to the Spiders after coaching stints at Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
In his first season with Richmond, Ibrahim guided running back Zach Palmer-Smith to a 1,382-yard season and Second Team All-CAA honors, making Palmer-Smith the first Spider to rush for over 1,000 yards since 2015. Palmer-Smith finished the year second in the CAA and seventh nationally in rushing yards per game, helping Richmond rank second in the CAA as a team in rushing yards with 2,527. Under Ibrahim's leadership, true freshman Andrew King became Richmond's third-leading rusher, gaining 267 yards on 46 attempts. In the Oct. 5 game against North Carolina A&T, King became Richmond’s first true freshman to rush for 100 yards or more since 2016. His six carries needed to achieve 100 rushing yards were the fewest for a Spider since at least 1977, the earliest year Richmond’s records go. Ibrahim’s guidance helped the 2024 Spiders go 10-3, reach the FCS Playoffs for the third consecutive year, win back-to-back conference championships for just the second time in program history, and finish the regular season with 10 wins—Richmond’s best regular-season record since 2009. Ibrahim also helped Richmond complete an undefeated 8-0 conference season, the second such accomplishment in program history, while the 2024 team became just the seventh in CAA history to finish conference play unbeaten.
Before joining Richmond, Ibrahim served as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech, where he assisted Coach Elijah Brooks with the running backs, including Bhayshul Tuten and Malachi Thomas. The duo combined for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023.
Prior to his time in Blacksburg, Ibrahim coached at Wisconsin during the 2022 season as an offensive analyst assistant, working with the Badgers’ running backs. He led the Wisconsin running backs room through staffing changes at the end of the season and helped guide the group to a 24-17 Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. Badgers tailback Braelon Allen ran for 116 yards, earning bowl-game offensive MVP honors, and 13 of the team’s 21 first downs came via the run, part of a 258-yard ground effort.
Ibrahim was a standout running back at both Pittsburgh and Wisconsin, playing in 42 career games. As a senior with the Badgers in 2017, he served as the primary third-down back, registering 28 carries for 130 rushing yards and capping the season with a New Year's Six bowl appearance in the Orange Bowl. Ibrahim rushed for 399 yards on 60 carries over two seasons at Pittsburgh.
A native of Rockville, Md., Ibrahim earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Pittsburgh before earning a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from Wisconsin in 2019.
