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DL, 6'5, 347, 4.9, 450 bp
Ft. Pierce, FL
Nickname: Super Mario
High School: Westwood
Junior College: Hutchinson CC
JC Number: 58
AL Number: 99
Official Visits: Oklahoma State, Alabama
Second Choice: Oklahoma State
Host During Alabama Visit: Will Cuthbert
Committed: December 11, 1997
Academic Status: Summer Graduate
Stats
JUCO Sophomore Season
Tackles
- 65 total
- 18 QB pressures
- 7 QB sacks
Honors
- All-State
- First Team All Jayhawk Conference
- JUCO All-American
Stories
Skinny Wimp?
Yes, Super Mario used to be super skinny.
"Up until the tenth grade I was very average size," Monds says. "Then all of sudden I just took off."
The transformation began when Monds was a lanky, 6’1, 170-pound freshman at Westwood HS in Ft. Pierce, FL. Three years later he was 6’4, 290 and still growing.
"By the end of my senior year I was 365. Since then I haven’t been below 330."
Monds now weighs 347 pounds. By August he wants to be down to 315.
"I’ve started a fruit diet. I’m hitting the weights and I’ll begin a running program after Spring Break."
But can he lose 32 pounds in five months?
"It’ll be tough. But if you want something bad enough then you can do it. I want it bad. I’m going to do it."
Monds will be a major force for the Tide, if he’s in top shape.
"In high school I was 280 to 290 and running a 4.7. Right now I can do a 4.9. If I get down to 315, I think I’ll be back in the 4.7 range again."
On The Recruiting Trail …
Three years ago Mario Monds went on an official visit to Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. His host that weekend was a freshman DL named Cornelius Griffin.
Monds later signed with Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and never heard from Griffin again.
Then last November Monds was flying to another official visit -- this time to Alabama. The jet landed in Mississippi to pick up another prospect.
"I looked out the window and saw this guy coming towards the plane," Monds recalls. "He looked really familiar, but I wasn’t sure who he was."
It was none other than Cornelius Griffin.
"I recognized him right away," Griffin says. "I said, ‘Mario?’ He looked at me for a second and said, ‘Cornelius?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ We just laughed. It was unbelievable. Neither one of us ever thought we’d see each other again."
Q&A
TI: We understand that your plans were to go to Auburn.
MM: That’s true. I really liked Auburn back then. Coach Jimbo Fisher recruited me real hard. I was going there but I didn’t have my grades, so I went to Hutchinson.
TI: Now you’re headed to Alabama. Auburn will be your arch-rival.
MM: Yeah, they will be. But I just felt like Alabama really wanted me more. Alabama started calling me early this year. They were telling me that they wanted me to come in for a visit as soon as possible. I was impressed by that. Auburn didn’t really stay in touch with me.
TI: You’re from the same hometown [Ft. Pierce, FL] as William Cuthbert. Do you know him?
MM: I sure do. He’s a little younger than me. I played against him one year in high school. I didn’t go against him too much. But I remember that he did a good job against us.
TI: Did you see him when you visited Alabama?
MM: We talked quite a bit when I was there. He showed me around some and encouraged me to come to Alabama. But to be honest, I didn’t need any encouragement. I already loved the place. I knew that’s where I wanted to be.
TI: What made Alabama special?
MM: You name it. The coaches, players, fans, tradition -- just everything. My mom really liked coach DuBose. He and coach [Ivy] Williams went down and visited with her. They explained the academic and football aspects of Alabama. She was impressed by that.
TI: Let’s talk about how Alabama will use you. You’re a big, strong guy with a lot of speed. How do you figure into Alabama’s plans?
MM: They want me to come in and be a run-stopper in the middle. The coaches said that they need someone who can control the running game.
TI: Your coach at Hutchinson, Martin Harrell, told us that you’re much more than just a run-stopper.
MM: I can make plays down the line and I can pressure the quarterback. But Alabama needs a force in the middle -- a guy who can stop the run and pressure the quarterback from the inside. That’s the role I’ll be expected to fill. [Editor’s note: Last season Monds led Hutchinson with 18 QB pressures].
TI: So when do you plan to report to Tuscaloosa?
MM: I have to take an English course at Hutchinson this summer. I should be finished by the end of June. I may start school at Alabama during the second summer session or I may just go there to workout and get ready for the season.
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