Two-sport standout Reese Mooney has two dozen scholarship offers to his name, and he spent the spring and summer months traveling to many of the colleges he's most interested in. He was able to draw some initial and general impressions, even though his recruitment still has a long way to go.
"It's been going pretty good," the 2023 quarterback recruit Reese Mooney said about his summer. "I've been mostly working out and doing 7-on-7 and baseball. I just manage my time between the two sports. On weekdays I will do football, and on weekends I will do baseball."
The Denham Springs (La.) Denham Springs product estimated that he was able to see "10 or 11" college campuses over the past several weeks. Mooney was asked which of those stops stood out to him the most, and he replied:
"Shoot, they were all pretty awesome! They were all pretty awesome! It's obviously hard to say, but I really liked Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech stood out to me a lot! I like their coaching staff and how they carry themselves. How confident they were in their recruiting. It just felt like a place I could play at. The city was great, too. It was all awesome!
"There are a handful of colleges I've really grown to like. It was just a blast to get out there. Vanderbilt was a good one, too. It was a great academic school. Louisville was a fun place, but I didn't really fall in love with it like I did at some of the other places. I also went to see South Carolina and I had a great experience there.
"Nebraska, Miami and Cincinnati, too. I can't really name them all, but those are the few that I've really grown to like. I also really loved FAU as well because I love those coaches over there."
Mooney was asked to recall what he liked best about his visit to Lincoln, and he said:
"I liked it, I liked it," Mooney shared. "I liked the town, just the people, and also the fan base. That stood out to me pretty good."
As he took these trips with his father, Mooney was checking out both the football and baseball side of things since he may attempt to play both sports in college.
"Yes sir, we looked at both baseball and football, and just checked out all the facilities, met with some of the coaches, and just stuff like that," Mooney relayed. "You know, it's going to be a hard thing to do, but I feel like I have the work ethic to do it. I mean, I've worked hard my whole life. My time management is just baseball and football every day, so it won't be any different for me."
Mooney was an interested observer of the recently completed college baseball playoffs and world series.
"Yes sir, I did and it was awesome!" Mooney said. "Mississippi State impressed me, of course. I used to live close to Starkville, about 2 hours away in Clinton, Mississippi. A bunch of my buddies are committed there.
"NC State impressed me also, but they got bull crapped out of the deal when they could have won it all. They went in there, competed, and fought their butts off as well, so I was impressed with them. Vanderbilt, too, but they had won before [in the CWS], so I wanted somebody else to win."
When he does begin the process of narrowing his list of options down, Mooney knows what criteria he will be using to separate the wheat from the chaff.
"You know, it will be the school itself, as well as the surroundings and the people, and the education," the 6-foot1 & 1/2, 188-pound Mooney stated. "Almost the whole package. Also, the coach that will take me in and let me compete as a freshman. A coach who will do all those things, and also that loves to coach kids. Stuff like that.
"I'm not a running-type quarterback, but I can run when I have to. I would consider myself a dual-threat because I can take off when I need to. Distance will not be a factor for me. I just want to go somewhere I can play ball. I don't want to be too far from home, but just a place that fits me."
Mooney isn't planning any further visits for July or August, but he would like to get to games this fall at Georgia Tech, Nebraska, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and a couple others.
As far as his upcoming 2021 season, Mooney is mostly focused on team goals.
"You know, I don't really have any personal goals," Mooney explained. "I mean, it would be great to throw for 3000 yards, but shoot, my main goal is to win a state championship with my brothers, the guys who go to work with me every day in the weight room, in the classroom, and also on the field."
He has also been working with a personal quarterback coach, Wyatt Davis, and Mooney said they have mostly been focused on his footwork and breaking down film to get to know coverages better.
