Mobley narrows choices to U, Ohio State

The Gophers football team now has a 50-50 chance of landing Eden Prairie star defensive lineman Willie Mobley.

One day after helping Eden Prairie win the Class 5A state championship, Mobley narrowed the list of schools he's considering to Minnesota and Ohio State.

A four-star recruit who is considered the state's second-best prospect, Mobley spent Saturday afternoon contacting coaches from more than 20 schools to inform them he is no longer interested.

"I'm having a bad day," he said. "This is a hard thing to do, but I wanted to be professional about it and do the right thing."

Mobley said he has not set a timetable for making his final decision but said he feels completely comfortable with both of his finalists. He has made official visits to both schools, spending last weekend on the Gophers campus.

"Minnesota is my home, and it would be great for my family and friends to be able to see me play," Mobley said. "I have a great relationship with coach [Tim] Brewster and the players and the program has a bright future, especially with the new stadium coming."

Mobley said his visit to Ohio State several weeks ago also reminded him of home.

"Ohio State's program is first class and it felt a lot like Eden Prairie, the way everything is all business," he said. "It's a place I feel comfortable at, too. This is going to be hard. I guess it's going to come down to a gut decision because I really can't go wrong with either school."

Mobley is rated the ninth-best strongside defensive end in the nation by Rivals.com. He had offers from nearly 30 schools, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com