'08 MN DL Willie Mobley (Ohio State Signee

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11/19

From the Minnesota site...more on Willie's trip to Minnesota this past weekend. He claims no favorite.

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11/24

From the Minnesota site...recap of the win over Cretin-Derham Hall and says he is down to Minnesota and Ohio State.

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11/30

By Powers/ Greene. Mobley has verballed to the Buckeyes, and will start out at DE.

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Interesting story...

Issue - December 12, 2007

Top gridiron recruit Willie Mobley has one eye on the Big Ten and the other on geopolitics
Iranian Football
By Matt Snyders

It's easy to forget that Willie Mobley is 18 years old. Sporting a full beard and a frizzy quasi-fro, the 6-foot-2-inch, 250-pound defensive lineman looks more like a man approaching his 30s than a boy in the last throes of adolescence. At the two-story townhouse he shares with his mother in Chanhassen, Mobley is the man of the house: He answers the door and offers a firm handshake.

His room is papered with newspaper headlines testifying to his gridiron prowess. "Things were getting crazy this summer," Mobley says, kicking a pile of dirty clothes out of the way. "I was getting, like, 80 text messages a day from recruiters."

It's been a good couple of months. In November, the Eden Prairie High School senior led his team to its second straight undefeated season, trouncing Cretin-Derham Hall 51-20 in the state class AAAAA championship. Two weeks ago, he accepted a full-ride scholarship to play football at top-ranked Ohio State. Scouts around the country expect big things from No. 96.

"His biggest strengths are quickness and leverage," says Jamie DeMoney, a scouting analyst for Forbes Report and editor of prepnation.com. "If you wanted to look at the NFL and draw comparisons in terms of style, he plays a bit like a Warren Sapp. He's not a two-gap guy who'll just eat up space and occupy blockers. He's more of a one-gap guy who'll get a lot of penetration and wreak havoc behind the line of scrimmage."

Armed with a 4.85 40-yard dash and a 405 squat, Mobley has positioned himself as the second most highly touted prep player in the state this year, behind Cretin-Derham Hall wide receiver phenom Michael Floyd ("Any other year Mobley would be far and away the top recruit in the state," says DeMoney).

Though he played defensive tackle in high school, Mobley will likely make the move to D-end at the collegiate level due to his speed and relatively small size. His exceptional agility was perhaps best displayed in this year's championship game in the Metrodome when he rushed nine yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.

"When he ran that in, he looked more like a halfback than a lineman," says Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant, who now boasts two consecutive undefeated seasons manning the Eagles. "I think that's when a lot of people realized this kid's not your typical athlete."

Nor does he have a typical background. Born to a black father and Iranian mother, Mobley is one of just 2,500 people of Iranian heritage living in Minnesota. "People can see that I'm a mix of something, but they can't tell of what," Mobley says. "When they ask, I always tell them both sides: black and Persian. When I say Persian, sometimes they get confused, so I just say Iranian. Some people are like, 'Iran? Aren't we going to war with them?'"

Iranian Football - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

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From BP:

Originally Posted by schultgb

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Apparently every school backed off of Mobley after he committed to tOSU with the exception of Tennessee. Mobley is now considering a visit down there sometime in January, but maintains he is still committed and not re-opening his recruitment.

[GoRU]

Curtis and Mobley reschedule visits : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com

De’Anthony Curtis and Willie Mobley did not take their official trips to Tennessee this weekend as previously planned. Both are expected to reschedule for next weekend.

Curtis, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound tailback from Fairview High School in Camden, Ark., didn’t make the trip because his father wasn’t available to travel alongside. Curtis is considering UT, Arkansas and Oklahoma State.

Mobley, a 6-2, 260-pound defensive end from Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School, didn’t make the trip because his girlfriend suffered a minor injury while playing hockey. Mobley is committed to Ohio State but has shown interest in exploring other possibilities.

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1/14

Making of the Brew Crew: Willie Mobley...focusing on Willie's relationship with his mother (who immigrated from Iran during the Iran/Iraq conflict) and what it means to Willie to be a Buckeye.

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Mobley denies wavering on commitment
Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel paid a visit to Willie Mobley, amid rumors the Eden Prairie standout was considering bolting for the Gophers.

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune
Last update: January 16, 2008

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel made a recruiting stop in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, visiting several schools and 2008 verbal commitment Willie Mobley of Eden Prairie.

Mobley, a four-star defensive tackle, denied Internet rumors Tuesday that he is considering decommitting from Ohio State in favor of the Gophers.

Mobley said he still talks to Gophers coach Tim Brewster and defensive line coach Tim Cross regularly, but he said that does not mean he is having a change of heart.

?I?m a Buckeye,? he said. ?Me and coach Cross and coach Brewster have a good relationship, but I?m a Buckeye. I?m happy with my decision. I wouldn?t have committed if I wasn?t [sure].?

Mobley denies wavering on commitment

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1/16

100% committed to Ohio State. Plans to room with Stoneburner, Brewster, and maybe Posey.

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1/28

From the Minny site...denies all rumors that he is still considering Minnesota.