Utah embraces a defensive philosophy of being relentless, smart nasty ball-hawks. If there's a player who perfectly embodies that description, Mohamoud Diabate is the one.
The Florida transfer made a name for himself as a linebacker with the Gators, recording a team-high 89 tackles in 2021. Now he's with the Utes, ready to fill an important role in helping lead a new defense and mentoring younger linebackers.
“I'm trying to buy into the culture and make sure I can do everything the program asks me to do,” Diabate said.
Diabate brings a skill set that excites Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. The 6-foot-4 senior is blessed with an equal dose of speed and athleticism and puts those traits to good use with his relentless energy.
Scalley pointed to Diabate's high football IQ as a defining characteristic of his defensive style. He said Diabate is a player who bends the right way, is rangy, and can cover a ton of ground in a hurry.
“He is a savvy football player,” Scalley said. “He was coached up well at Florida and we're lucky to have him.”
Diabate made huge strides during his three seasons with the Gators. He appeared in 37 games and made 17 starts. During that stretch, Diabate totaled 176 tackles, including 14.0 TFL and 6.0 sacks, and forced three fumbles. His breakout came in season two, when he registered double-digit tackles in back-to-back games against LSU and Alabama.
He's feeling confident his ability to be disruptive will mesh well to Utah's defensive schemes. Scalley concurs. He said Diabate will unleash more of his natural speed as his understanding of what the Utes want to do on defense grows.
One factor keying his quick progression is a willingness to learn and embrace his role.
“He's shown up and done a nice job,” Scalley said. “He's a guy you can coach hard, too. Sometimes the newcomers, you coach them hard and they look at you like you got ten heads.”
Diabate did not participate in spring practices while recovering from labrum surgery. But he soaked in the nuances of the playbook as much as possible during his rehabilitation and is ready to apply what he's learned since arriving in the Beehive State.
“I feel pretty confident playing in it,” Diabate said. “I just look for the growth with every practice.”
Going against Cam Rising and the Utah offense in fall camp has opened new doors for Diabate in his defensive progression. He's been able to witness firsthand why Rising made the Utes so potent on that side of the ball a season ago.
For Diabate, going against Rising and the rest of the offense has forced him to stretch and expand his own game as he seeks to further cement himself as an elite defender.
“Everybody on offense plays hard, so I feel like it's been a great challenge,” Diabate said. “I feel like they're getting me better. Cam is always precise, always on the money, so playing against him has been a nice little cat and mouse game.”
Ironically, Diabate will open the season against his former team when Utah travels to face Florida in week one. It will be a fun homecoming to where he got his football start and a chance to make a statement about his football future.
“It's like going to my ex-wife's house,” Diabate joked. “It's going to be fun. But I still have a lot of love and respect for those guys and university.”
