Diabate, Utah Defense Prepared For Florida
Aug 31, 2022, 5:24 AM
Florida transfer linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is getting comfortable with the Utes. (Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY- Replacing a guy like Devin Lloyd is never easy, however, the Utes feel like they may have found a good answer. Florida transfer linebacker Mohamoud Diabate only has one season to make an impact for Utah and by all accounts he is prepared to do so. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham says Diabate has really stepped up for them and is helping to fill the void left by Lloyd’s departure to the NFL.
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“He’s got a lot of the same qualities personality-wise as Devin Lloyd. Very similar,” Whittingham said. “He’s had a really good fall camp. We wish we could have had him in spring but that wasn’t the case. He really hit the ground running in fall camp and done a great job.
Position coach Colton Swan agrees with Whittingham’s assessment of Diabate’s leadership for the linebackers. The Swamp is a place Diabate is very familiar with and he’s been a big help in preparing a young, but talented group for what to expect.
“You go down to Gainesville, Florida- he’s been there, done that,” Swan said. “He’s a natural leader by who he is personality-wise. He’s done a great job coming into a new system, new culture. The expectations are really high for him and I think he’s handled all of it. He’s a great kid and you mix that with his great personality and a good work ethic- you’ve got something good.”
Venturing To The Ex-Wife’s House
As far as preparation goes both on the leadership-end and helping to set an expectation for what the Utah defense is about to encounter in the Swamp, Diabate has been a big help. He quipped earlier in the fall that going to Gainesville as a Ute will be like entering an ex-wife’s house, but Diabate is more than ready to take that hostility on.
“It’s an electric atmosphere,” Diabate said. “It’s one-of-a-kind. I don’t think there is any place that can compare to it. I used to love playing there so I’m excited to go back. It’s going to be a great environment, they will be out there loud and excited. It’s going to be fun.”
