There are many offensive labels one can place on an offensive lineman: Big, nasty, monstrous and sluggish – just to name a few. But it’s seldom one sees a big-heavy lineman get praised for the outstanding job he does on and off the field. Offensive linemen play a crucial part in how an offense operates. Without them, there would be no concrete source of production from an offensive standpoint. They are to a successful offense, what the army is to our country. Not to mention, they have the most important job of them all: Protect the quarterback.
Now let’s get into what makes this offensive stud worth mentioning.
Soft-spoken and humble are precise and descriptive words to use when referring to starting center Gabe Mobley.
Mobley is in his second year at Georgia State, majoring in history. He made his initial mark for the Panthers’ football team in 2015 as a redshirt freshman. It didn’t take long for him to become a starter that year, as he was inserted into the starting lineup for game two against New Mexico State. From there, he has been a very reliable and durable option for the Panthers along the offensive line- playing nearly every snap since he got the promotion. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman has recently been named to the Rimington Award Watch List.
Mobley also has the tendency to light up the classroom with his intelligence, earning academic honors every semester he’s been enrolled at Georgia State. During the 2015 fall semester, he was added to the President’s List in recognition of his 4.0 GPA. His academic resume also includes: Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll (2014-15), Dean’s List (Fall 2014) (Spring 2016) and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Spring 2015).
Hailing from Moultrie, Georgia and having played for Colquitt County High school, Mobley was a key piece to success for the Wild Boars. During his time there he earned first-team all-state honors in Georgia’s largest classification by the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He also claimed honorable mention all-state recognition from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as being named to the first-team all-region 1-AAAAAA.
What have you improved on in the offseason that you feel can take your game to a new level this upcoming season?
Mobley: I feel like overall I’ve been able to get a better grasp on the schemes of everything. The offense – and understanding the defense and being able to read the defenses. And also being able to read what they’re throwing at us and the different blitzes. Knowing that just helps you with everything.
What are your individual goals that you plan on accomplishing this football season?
Mobley: Really just helping the team out however I can. Individual goals are good and everything, but if they don’t help the team win, none of that matters.
How is the chemistry amongst the offensive line this year?
Mobley: The chemistry is pretty good amongst the offensive line this year. It’s probably better than it has been years past, and we’re really just meshing better than we have.
What is the biggest difference for you going into this football season?
Mobley: Last year we had our one-set quarterback (Nick Arbuckle) and this year we’ve been rotating through quarterbacks. All of them are good.
Do you actually have a stronger chemistry-level with one particular quarterback out of the two that are in competition?
Mobley :We pretty much get equal work in with all of them. And all of them have their qualities and what they’re good at. It’s not like any of them are really better than the other.
I did some research on you, man – you’re really an intelligent student-athlete. How do you balance out being a top student in the classroom while also being a dominant player on the field?
Mobley: You just have to set time aside for you to get your schoolwork done and focus on that, but where you can also get yourself prepared for games and practice and everything else, too. It’s just about balancing your time out right.
Have you played Madden 17, yet?
Mobley: I haven’t, yet, but my roommate is supposed to be getting it. As soon as he gets it, we will be playing it.
Coming off of your bowl appearance last year, what do you feel the team, as a whole, has to do to get started on the right track?
Mobley: Well, we had a lot of momentum coming off the end of last year, and we just need to keep our momentum rolling and just focus in on what we need to do and we should be good.
Look for Mobley to have a huge impact this year as one of the leaders on the offensive line.
