Linebacker-transfer Mohamoud Diabate left Florida to compete for a Championship in Utah
As Utah’s spring camp presses on and the program continues to assess the outlook for the 2022 season, Florida-transfer Mohamoud Diabate is getting his first taste of his new team and what the Utes are all about.
Originally a four-star recruit out of the state of Alabama, Diabate played three seasons at Florida with 17 starts in 37 games. During that time, Diabate recorded 170 tackles, six sacks, three forced-fumbles and an interception. Most recently in 2021, he was a staple of the Gator defense with 89 tackles last year. However, despite his recent success, Diabate hit the transfer portal and announced his commitment to the U shortly after the Rose Bowl on January 4.
“Overall I am really impressed with the program,” Diabate said. “Whittingham has built the culture, the foundation, and you can see it through every facet of the program. Whether it's the workouts, the training room, the coaching, it's been well thought out and it's definitely a place I’m excited to be.”
As for his choice to transfer from Florida, leaving the swamp and its SEC competition is not a simple decision. But Diabate was focused on finding a better situation than he was currently in, and with Utah’s recent success in the Pac-12 and beyond, he felt like it was the right program to join.
“I wanted to go to a better situation than I was currently in. A team that could contend for a championship in their division. There was only a certain number of teams on that list so when it came down to that, I had to identify which one of those elite teams had a need at linebacker. And Devin Lloyd coming out as one of the top linebackers and the way they use him, I saw the opportunity there and had to make a business decision to put myself in that position.”
In regards to joining the program and acclimating to his new team, Diabate is currently focused on recovering from labrum surgery but has been getting to know the coaches and his fellow teammates. While he should be ready to go by fall camp, Diabate understands that he can still make the most of spring camp as according to him, football is more than just X’s and O’s.
“Football is not just a game about the X’s and O’s, its about the team and getting to know people. So that's one of the reasons I wanted to enroll early to whatever school I was gonna go to so I could have a chance to mesh with the guys and get to know people. You want to know who you’re communicating with on the field, you want to know who you’re going to war with,” Diabate said.
As for what he brings to the table, Diabate possesses some of the most experience in the linebacker room, especially playing in the SEC. He also is a versatile defender with a good amount of speed, power and explosion who can create a lot of problems off the edge.
“Definitely fast, physical, aggressive,” Diabate explained. “That's three things that I like to pride myself on. Speed, getting to wherever I wanna go fast, getting there physical and having aggressiveness, and sharing that energy with the rest of the linebacker core and the defense.”
Ironically, Diabate will face his former squad the first time he suits up in the crimson colors. While it's nothing but love off the field with his former team, he knows where his loyalties lie on the field and it's no longer the guys in blue and orange.
“It brings emotions because those are the guys that you grew up with, you had morning workouts with those guys and those are some of my closest friends," Diabate explained. "But at the end of the day I want to destroy them…they know who I am, you’re my enemy now so all that stuff we went through, all those times we were together, that goes out the window. I'm trying to do my job and I know it’s going to be the same on their end so it's going to come down to who prepares best and who is ready."
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