Visualization is a great way to begin to accomplish goals. When Mohamoud Diabate first got to Gainesville his new position coach asked every player a straightforward question.

What are your long-term goals?

"I need to know your goals so I know how. to guide you, how to push you towards that to when you're having a down day," Robinson said. "(Diabate) is like, I want to be somebody one day that has an opportunity to wear a gold jacket at the next level. If I know that he wants to be one of the best, everything I say to him should be accepted with the right attitude, and he's done that."

Long-term goals are great but along the way you need to have short-term goals you work towards and meet that build you up to eventually achieve your ultimate aspirations. This year Robinson returned to his position room and asked them another question.

"'After the season, how do you want your teammates and people in this building to view you?"

The word Diabate chose?

Savage.

The 6-3, 220-pound linebacker who plays with taped hands in lieu of gloves looks the part on the field already. In 2020, however, Diabate was learning on the fly. He arrived in Gainesville as an outside linebacker or buck in the Florida defense. The coaching there is easy, you're really only worrying about one thing, get to the quarterback. Moving to inside linebacker, Dabate was suddenly responsible for making sure the defensive line was where they needed to be, that he was in the right coverage, what was the offensive formation, who is my responsibility in coverage? The days of simply, "hit the quarterback" were done. It's one thing to make that position change in the spring when the opponent is yourself and your teammates and the stakes are low. It's a whole different ballgame to be learning and making that transition when the lights are on every Saturday.

"This year having the opportunity to have spring, having the time where I can get taught and developed and really learn the things of the position that I’ve never been able to learn," Diabate said. "I’m really excited for that and I feel like it’s going to have a great effect on the season.”

This year he'll be starting next to Ventrell Miller. His position has changed but his ultimate goals have not. Diabate is a stern, focused, individual who made a move for the betterment of the team, even if it meant a step back for him in the short term. Now, with a spring to really prepare we will get to see what kind of player he can really become.

"The desire to fix those and to improve and to push yourself forward, that's what he has. And that's one of the reasons why our room continues to go forward. And it's about the people and their development, and them believing in themselves at crucial moments. And I see him doing that, I see him doing it for other people," Robinson said of Diabate. "There’s young DB's that are listening to a guy that has had to experience failure and to bounce back and and work his way to where he's playing in a SEC championship. You know, it's and obviously we want to go win those but it starts with those experiences and learning from failure. And he's a guy that's driven by that every day."