Two Cornell Football Players Prepare for the NFL Draft - The Cornell Daily Sun

Two Cornell Football Players Prepare for the NFL Draft – The Cornell Daily Sun

Posted by author February 23, 2025 Football

Spread the love

Senior football players Jameson Wang and Muhammad-Ali Kobo announced their plans to prepare for the National Football League draft with hopes that a team will select them between April 24 and April 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

For quarterback Wang, the NFL draft and his dreams of playing professional football have always been at the top of his mind.

“Ever since my freshman year at Cornell, I have planned to give myself the best chance to pursue my dreams of playing at the next level,” Wang said.

Wang said he took additional courses during the spring semester — football’s off-season — and studied during the summer to graduate a semester early. This way, Wang could focus his efforts on preparing to play professional football.

On Jan. 11, Wang became the second-ever Cornell football player to participate in the Hula Bowl — an annual all-star football game. He says over 400 NFL scouts were able to watch and evaluate him as a player.

Since then, Wang has focused on preparing for the college pro days, where athletes showcase their talent to more scouts. He plans to attend the University of Buffalo and Columbia University’s Pro Days through mid-March and early April. In late April, Wang says he will have the chance to participate in other Pro Days hosted by NFL teams one last time before those teams select their draft picks.

“Whether it’s the NFL, Xtreme Football League, Canadian Football League or any other professional league I wanted to have the opportunity to keep playing the game I love,” Wang said.

Wang had an incredible career with the Red playing 37 games, with a total of 78 passing and rushing touchdowns. He accumulated 8,775 total yards, 6,959 of those coming from the air and the other 1,816 on the ground. Wang was also ranked No. 23 in the country for passing completion percentage during the 2023-2024 season.

Kobo is a senior defensive lineman who had a different situation than Wang. During Kobo’s freshman year, he played four games for the Red.

“I filed a petition with the NCAA because I wanted to try to get a year of eligibility since I did not play in many games my freshman year,” Kobo said. “I worked with my family through this process and it was unfortunate that my petition was denied.”

Kobo made the decision with his family to pivot to focusing on preparing for the NFL draft.

Kobo has been preparing for the draft since December. He has trained regularly with other players, most notably Jackson Hayes, a former Division I player at Ohio State University. Kobo will join Wang at the Columbia University Pro Day.

“I think playing football and getting through the college stage of my life helped me understand that this is not the final stage of my total football career,” Kobo said.

Kobo played a total of 29 games for the Red, recording 70 total tackles — with six of these tackles being sacks and nine and a half tackles for loss. Kobo also has had a total of 18 quarterback hurries as well.

Kobo wanted to highlight the impact his parents, Ramatu and Ousman Kobo, older brother Bilal Kobo and cousin Jamal Sanfo had on helping him through his decision to prepare for the draft. He also said that Coaches Shawn Burks, Dan Swanstrom, Satyen Bhakta and Anthony “Tony” Decker all played important roles in developing him into the player he is. Finally, he wanted to thank Julien Deumaga, who put together his highlight film.

“All of those people played a critical role in my success, so I really want to thank them,” Kobo said. “The football coaching staff at Cornell and all my family members each contribute to my journey and the football player I am today.”

For now, it is a waiting game for the two seniors until April. So as the NFL draft approaches, Cornellians are hopeful to see the alumni play professionally.