Know Your Foe: Mohamoud Diabate returns to The Swamp with Utah

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•08/29/22•

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There is a new era beginning for the Florida Gators‘ football program. The Billy Napier era will officially begin on September 3, as the Gators host the No. 7 Utah Utes.

Utah finished the 2021 campaign as the Pac-12 Champions. Kyle Whittingham’s team finished the regular season with a 9-3 record. They beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game and fell just three points short of beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-4.

Whittingham has a small connection to UF. He took over the head coaching job at Utah in 2005, replacing Urban Meyer. Meyer, of course, left Utah to accept the head coaching job at Florida and went on to win two National Championships in Gainesville.

The Gators don’t have a coach entering his 18th season at the helm, like Whittingham at Utah. Billy Napier was hired 276 days before the game will kick off. There are much easier ways to begin your tenure, something Napier jokingly acknowledged at SEC Media Days.

“I really believe that having a formidable opponent in the opener is healthy for your team. As much as you want to think our team is not going to be affected by who they play or where they play, I do think we got a little bit of that human nature in it and I think our staff and team has so much respect for coach Wittingham and that Utah program and the consistency with which they perform,” Napier said at SEC Media Days. “They certainly had a heck of a team last year. They got a good group coming back and we’re excited about the thing that comes with it and I think it’s healthy for our team to have that out there that we have a top-10 team and the Pac-12 Champion coming into the Swamp so I think it’s healthy for our team.”

With that in mind, Gators Online reached out to Josh Newman of The Salt Lake Tribune. Newman has covered the Utes since 2019 and knows the team inside and out. He graciously answered our questions so that Gator fans can better know their opponent on September 3.

Part 1: Utah’s age and experience

Part 2: Who is Utah’s quarterback, Camerson Rising?

Part 3: Utah bringing a revamped passing attack to Gainesville

Part 4: Utah’s rushing attack vs the Gators’ defense

Part 5: Two question marks for the Utes

How has Mohamoud Diabate looked since transferring to Utah?

Q: How is former Florida linebacker Mohamoud Diabate doing out there in Utah?

Josh Newman: Diabate missed all of spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgery. He’s is fully healed, has been a full participant this month, and has drawn effusive praise from Whittingham and Scalley. Pencil Diabate at one starting LB spot, regardless of whether Utah goes with two or three LBs. As I said above, the linebackers’ room is very talented, but also very green because Lloyd and Sewell were so good. To have a veteran presence among those guys like Diabate, with 37 career games and 17 starts for an SEC school is immeasurable in terms of leadership and know-how. Diabate will be a significant contributor this fall.

Our Take

Mohamoud Diabate returns to Gainesville and a program, thanks in part to his whistle-blowing, is not only feeding the football team but all 524 student-athletes. Diabate will return to the school he spent the last three years. He played in 37 games with 17 starts at Florida from 2019-21. Diabate recorded 176 total tackles (14.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks), three forced fumbles, two pass breakups, and an interception. He’ll be a starting linebacker for the Utes in his return to Gainesville.

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