Willie Mobley, the 6-foot-2, 263-pound four-star defensive tackle from Eden Prairie, Minn., is looking forward to officially visiting Ohio State on Nov. 3 for the Wisconsin game.
Although Mobley denies a favorite school, he admits that Ohio State is the one school that all the others will be compared too. In July, the Buckeyes held a slight lead and they are the suspected leader today, despite Mobley's denials.
"I love their history and I've developed a great relationship with them so I'm really excited to be taking my visit there," he said about Ohio State. "It's gonna be cool to see Columbus and experience what it's like there during a game day. I've never been there before, so I don't really know what to expect.
"Ohio State has a great record, but for me it's more about their history and tradition than it is their record. I picked them as my first official visit because they have the whole package and I think I'll compare every other school I visit to them.
"I wish I could say they are my number one choice, but I can't," Mobley said. "They are the whole package and I like them a lot, but I'm just taking it one school at a time before I have a favorite."
The other schools that Mobley is considering visiting are Iowa, Arizona, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He already skipped his scheduled Oct. 19 official trip to Wisconsin. All of his favorites have offered (22 total).
The Hawkeyes are recruiting him the hardest. "I've had a great relationship with them since my freshman year," he said. "They are like family and they talk to my parents and really took the time to get to know me. I talk to coach Kirk Ferentz regularly and I'm also close with (recruiting coordinator) coach Eric Johnson and (defensive line) coach Rick Kaczenski."
Mobley, ranked as the No. 19 defensive tackle in the country by Scout.com, says distance isn't a factor and that he really likes the coaching staff at Arizona. "Arizona is young and they are going to have their up-swing and starting winning soon," he said. "They aren't a bad team and have shown they can win big games.
"Tennessee is also a great team," he said. "They are doing pretty well this year and I like their tradition and how they always seem to be a top team. It's football school and the stadium is huge.
"Competition is huge for me and I want to be able to learn from my teammates and get better while I'm at college," he said. "I hope I don't have to take all five of my visits. I'd like to find a school that fits me and not have to go through a long process."
Eden Prairie is currently 9-0 and just defeated Hopkins High School 56-14 in the playoffs on Oct. 27. Mobley had three tackles, one sack and one six yard rushing touchdown in that game. For the season he has 10 sacks and 21 tackles for loss.
He reports a 2.7 core GPA and is retaking his ACT on Dec. 8.