Naim Mustafaa

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Atlanta, Georgia area high school football star Naim Mustafaa had originally committed to enrolling at nearby University of Georgia. But as his high school career progressed, he developed a change of heart. And now, midway through his senior season, he has switched his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs to Oklahoma State University.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end from Alpharetta, a Northern suburb of Atlanta, is rated as a four-star defensive end by Scout.com and had been committed to Georgia since the summer. He reportedly notified UGA’s coaches of his decision a few days ago, and went public with it a couple of days after that. He plans to enroll early at Oklahoma State this month.

“I kept re-evaluating my decision, and I felt like Oklahoma State was better off for me,” said Mustafaa to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution over the phone from Oklahoma City’s airport. “I really like the area in Stillwater, and the team, and the tradition of the Oklahoma State program, and all of that. It’s hard not going to Georgia because I’m from Georgia. But I want to go to the NFL one day, so I have got to do what’s best for me.”

Mustafaa thinks he will be better fit as a defensive end in Oklahoma State’s 4-3 defense rather than in UGA’s 3-4 as an outside linebacker. He also indicated a better academic fit with Oklahoma State, saying, “…they have my major in Business…They’ve got a great hotel and restaurant industry program, and I will be learning about how to run a business.”

Mustafaa’s father was a football star at Georgia’s rival, Georgia Tech University. Najee Mustafaa ( born Reggie Rutland), went on to play seven seasons in the National Football League as a cornerback with the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns. Naim’s brother currently plays football at the University of Kentucky.

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