Prep football: Eden Prairie's Mobley wanted everywhere

Recruiters all want Willie Mobley, and he likes them, too. All of them. Soon he'll have to pick one school.

By John Millea, Star Tribune

Last update: October 25, 2007 - 10:05 PM

Willie Mobley was sitting on a sideline bench after football practice at Eden Prairie on Wednesday, talking about many things, including the pressure he feels from Minnesotans to play for the Gophers.

"I hear it everywhere I go," said the senior defensive lineman, who is now under the bright recruiting spotlight with the decision this week by Cretin-Derham Hall wide receiver Michael Floyd to attend Notre Dame.

Even in a silent world, Mobley hears it.

Having taken classes in American Sign Language, Mobley went on a recent class trip to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault.

"It was one of the best experiences I've ever had," he said.

But you can guess what happened. As Mobley conversed with students and adults in sign language, they told him this: "You should be a Gopher."

That could happen. But nobody knows what the future holds, including the 6-2, 250-pound Mobley, who turned 18 last month. He has not taken any official visits, although that process will begin soon. He will go to Ohio State this weekend and Wisconsin a week later. He will visit the Gophers, but probably not for a while.

"After the season, I think it'll be easier for [coach Tim Brewster]," Mobley said. "I just want him to focus on the season."

Don't we all. That's the kind of kid Mobley is; polite, considerate of others, doesn't say a negative thing about anybody. During our 20-minute chat, he said this about Brewster: "I love him. He's a great guy." A few minutes later he said this about Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz: "I love coach Ferentz. He's a great guy."

It won't be a surprise if Mobley's other official visits are to Iowa and Arizona. But his plans include one other location that has nothing to do with football. Mobley's mother, Roshanak (everybody calls her Roxanne) moved to the United States from Iran when she was a child and graduated from St. Louis Park High School. There are many relatives in Iran, and Mobley plans to go there in the spring.

"I talk to them on the phone," he said. "They look at me on the Internet. But they don't know so much about football, so they say things like, 'Oh, are you going to the NFL?'"

Mobley, who has 26 scholarship offers, is looking at the recruiting process like a research project. He needs some data before reaching a conclusion.

"I just don't have enough information on those schools yet," he said. "They have to have good academics and extra help. I want to go somewhere where I can get help. I don't want to go to college and get straight C's. I want to learn. It's not about the NFL. That's the last thing on my mind. It's nothing like, 'Oh, I'm going straight to the NFL,' like a lot of these kids think."

Mobley, who is interested in studying kinesiology, has learned a few things during the recruiting process. For one, he doesn't trust anything that's posted on recruiting websites. He'll occasionally peruse them to see if friends have committed. Then he'll see his own name.

"It's like, 'Oh, shoot. Am I ready to look at this?' I look at it and they misquote me."

Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said Mobley is probably just too nice for the back-alley, rumor-mongering world of Internet recruiting sites.

"[The website] Rivals from Wisconsin calls him and asks, 'What do you think about Wisconsin?' And he says, 'I think it's great.' So they go with, 'He's going to commit to Wisconsin,' " Grant said.

"And then they call him from Rivals in Ohio and he says, 'I love Ohio State.' And he's sincere. He likes all these guys. So in Ohio they report that he's going to commit to Ohio State. He isn't close to committing."

Mobley's focus is on Eden Prairie and helping the Eagle Empire win a second consecutive Class 5A state title. The quest continues Saturday in the section semifinals against Hopkins.

"You just focus on things you're doing right now instead of the future," he said. "Everything will work out."

jmillea@startribune.com