Marshall and West Virginia football target Karson Hobbs (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) spoke to WV Sports Now on Monday. The Archbishop Moeller High School cornerback in Cincinnati, Ohio has only received those two scholarship offers so far. Hobbs mentioned that he likes West Virginia enough to consider it early, that he will always keep them in the mix no matter where his recruiting takes place.

“They were the first school in the Big 12 to offer me,” Hobbs said. “It’s exciting and I feel like no matter who proposes me, (West Virginia) will always be in the mix, one way or another because they were the first to really taking that chance on me.”

Although he only received one offer from West Virginia, Hobbs has an important connection to the school. Hobbs is trained by former West Virginia and NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones, who as a defensive back was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Washington Titans. Tennessee. Jones dealt with off-field issues for much of his NFL career, which eventually led to him spending most of it in Cincinnati with the Bengals.

On the field, that move to Cincinnati has helped Jones in the last five years (2013-17) he’s been there, he’s had 11 of his 17 career touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and NFL All-Pro in 2014. He retired after the 2018 season he spent with the Denver Broncos.

“I have a trainer, Pac-Man Jones, he trains there,” Hobbs said. “It was important for me to be offered there. Especially being trained by, the sixth overall pick in the draft from there.

“He is very insistent. He always pushes me to do my best. It’s different. This is not a joke. Many sessions, they will really touch you. But you know that each time you will improve.

The two-sport athlete who also runs on the track has improved in the defensive backfield considering he didn’t play that position at all until last season. Previously, Hobbs was a wide receiver. He only recently started playing as a defensive back because his team’s top cornerback was injured during the season.

“Since then that’s who I’m going to be forever,” Hobbs said.

Now he compares himself as a player to Jones. Jones was known for his physical and at times controversial style of play during his tenure in the NFL. He was once fined $35,000 after a helmet hit Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, to which Jones replied, “I play with passion. There’s no way I’m still playing if I wasn’t playing this way.

“My line, you can’t walk with the line. When the line is crossed, you click on or you click off. So I don’t know the line. As far as life is concerned, you have to walk like that, but on the court, I’m just one of those guys who plays without a seat belt. I’m not going to change the way I play for anyone. As long as it doesn’t harm my team, I’m cool. I know the difference between playing smart and reckless and playing smart and reckless and doing stupid things. Hopefully that won’t happen again. »

In addition to Jones, Hobbs admires Las Angeles Rams star Jalen Ramsey, who is coming off his first Super Bowl win over the Bengals. Ramsey has been arguably the top corner of the NFL since entering the league with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. Ramsey has been to the Pro Bowl each of the past five seasons and is a three-time All Pro First Team member (2017, 2020 -21). He has 15 career interceptions over his six-year career.

As for Marshall, he was offered after school came to see his high school practice. After seeing Hobbs practice, the school decided to propose to him. He plans to visit Marshall and West Virginia during the same weekend and will also camp in Marshall, which he is unsure of doing in West Virginia.

“I’m starting to learn more and more about the program (at Marshall) as the days go by,” Hobbs said. “West Virginia, I know a lot about this program. These two schools, especially being in the same neighborhood, it’s kind of cool because then I can visit both.