Florida's Mohamoud Diabate: From Edge Rusher, to Linebacker, to Lieutenant

Mohamoud Diabate's career arc has presented its fair share of challenges, all of which have prepared him for his latest task: Helping fix a broken Florida Gators defense.

Photo: Mohamoud Diabate; Credit: University of Florida athletic association

After spending the last two seasons coined as a playmaker, Mohamoud Diabate is ready to be considered a leader, of sorts.

"I feel like if [middle linebacker] Ventrell [Miller]’s the leader, I’ll be his lieutenant," Diabate shared on Monday. "I feel like I have the experience, you know, to lead the defense, lead guys, tell guys what to do. I have the knowledge of the defense so, you know, I'm excited to do that."

As Florida's defense is determined to improve from a season ago, the Gators sure will need Diabate to be a dependable second-in-command as he implies.

The rising third-year linebacker is undergoing his first spring practice at the position, having begun the transition early in his second season with the Gators. He had seen limited snaps off the ball as a freshman and prepared to train there during his sophomore offseason, but the coronavirus pandemic had other plans.

"What a lot of people don't realize is I played [defensive end] my whole life. So I ain’t ever had to backpedal with nobody. And then we come back from quarantine and I have to do that," Diabate recalled of his transition.

"The beginning of the season was really a feeling out process," he continued. "Then midway I felt like the two weeks we got off for COVID, I felt like that was big. I wasn’t positive, so I was able to get a lot of work in during those two weeks. Once that week passed I started getting better and better every week.

"This year having the opportunity to have spring, having the time where I can get taught and developed and really learn the things of the position that I’ve never been able to learn. I’m really excited for that and I feel like it’s going to have a great effect on the season."

Something telling: Diabate earned 193 snaps as a true freshman after enrolling early, and six of his seven career starts last year, after he "added" inside linebacker to his arsenal. Even though he's been tasked with learning numerous spots - continuing to acclimate in college away from his Alabama home, during a pandemic nonetheless - Diabate has been able to meaningfully and successfully contribute. 

Diabate has made no shortage of plays as an off-ball linebacker and edge rusher, compiling 81 tackles, 5.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, an interception, a pass breakup, and two forced fumbles in 20 games.

Likening his potential to versatile NFL talents Isaiah Simmons and Jeremy Chinn, Diabate stressed the importance of playing numerous positions in order to help the team reach its goals. It hasn't come easy to learn the linebacker position, but that is a challenge that Diabate has accepted.

"Playing BUCK [rush end] or outside linebacker, you just think about what you have to do. I have to just rush off the edge, I have to go inside, I might have to take this back out the flat," Diabate explained. 

"Playing inside linebacker, there’s a lot more thinking. It’s a lot more of a mental game," he said. "You have to realize a lot of things. You have to look at formations ... being able to diagnose formations, playing in space, playing outside linebacker you’re just going straight, rushing, rushing. Being able to drop, be patient, flip your hips, stuff like that I feel like was the biggest learning curve and I’ll say that I’m still learning to this day."

Although he may still be picking up the position bit by bit, Diabate will be tested this season as off-ball linebackers James Houston IV and Jesiah Pierre are no longer with the team, cementing Diabate's name on a large share of upcoming snaps.

UF's defense undoubtedly struggled in 2020, ranking No. 83 nationally in total, No. 71 in run, and No. 100 in pass defense. Diabate pointed to "little things" such as snap-to-snap gap integrity as Florida's issues last season and believes that they are correctable.

Now in a lieutenant role, Diabate will in part be responsible for rectifying a typically dominant Gators defense. Following a career arc that has presented a fair number of challenges, the latest is one that Diabate should be able to handle.

"Coach [Todd] Grantham, coach [Dan] Mullen and the rest of the staff are working extremely hard to make sure we can fix those issues," said Diabate. "I have a great deal of confidence that we're gonna get that done."