Georgia State University College of Law is known for educating well-rounded, diverse students. Gabriel Mobley (B.S.'17, J.D. ’21) is no exception, other than his Cure Bowl championship ring, of course.
Gabriel Mobley (J.D. '21) Photo courtesy of Georgia State University Athletics
Mobley of Moultrie, Georgia, is 6 foot 2 inches and weighs 280 pounds. He is a first-year law student at Georgia State Law, and an offensive center for the Georgia State Panthers football team. In his first-year of law school, while adjusting to his new surroundings, professors and peers, Mobley was able to balance his academics and showcase his skills on the football field at the same time.
The year was 2017, and the Georgia State Panthers claimed a major victory by winning the Auto Nation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida, for the first time in the program’s history.
During football season, from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, Mobley can be found at the Georgia State University practice facility in Southwest Atlanta, running drills with the football team.
Mobley connects what he learned while playing sports to law school, he said perseverance and being resilient is key. “Sometimes you have to battle through injuries in sports and continue to play through the pain,” he said. “You just have to keep pushing.
“In law school, it gets hard trying to balance everything,” Mobley said. “When I have a problem and I feel like I’m not getting enough time, I still have to figure out how to push through it.”
In 2017, Mobley graduated from Georgia State in just three years with a degree in History.
He is the recipient of several academic awards including the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for 2015-16 and 2017-18, which recognizes student-athletes who maintain a 3.5 grade point average or better. Mobley also made the Dean’s List and the President’s List.
“My mom and dad instilled in me from a young age that school was the most important thing and without a good education, it was going to be really tough to accomplish the things that I wanted to,” Mobley said. “A lot of people see collegiate athletes, and football players, especially and think ‘Oh they’re only worried about playing and could care less about school.’"
“Regardless of how far your career takes you in a sport like football, your body is going to give out on you at some point and without taking your education seriously, there will be nothing for you to fall back on. The way you handle your academics in college determines the rest of your life, so for me, that alone is motivation enough to do the best that I can in school.”
Mobley is enjoying his time in law school and loves 85 Park Place. His favorite class at Georgia State Law is Torts with Timothy Lytton, University Distinguished Professor and professor of law.