By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – If someone would’ve asked Ben Moseley and Asa Holbert’s younger selves about their futures, football wouldn’t have been at the top of their lists.
Basketball and baseball were Moseley and Holbert’s sports of choice respectively.
But that all began to change once they reached high school. They started weight training under Jacob Kelley, and now, it’s the sport of football that’s provided them both with Division I scholarships.
On Wednesday morning, Moseley, a 6-foot-4 tight end, signed with Duke University. Holbert, a 6-7 offensive lineman, inked with Western Kentucky.
“It’s paid off,” Moseley said. “I started getting offers my junior year. I started looking at it and realized that this was actually an option. I was planning just to go to college, pay for it and get a degree, maybe try to get some academic scholarships, but once I started getting recruited, I kind of shifted over to that. I just started looking at what would be the best fit for me.”
“When I started playing football my freshman year, I was still a baseball player and didn’t care too much for it,” Holbert said. “It was really my sophomore year that I started getting good at football. I realized then that maybe I could take football to the next level. Then came my junior year and I started getting recruited, me and Ben both. That year was the first year I played O-line. I replaced Zack Gaylor at left tackle, and that was a big spot to fill, but I put the work in. I stepped up and got good at left tackle.”
Moseley received over 20 scholarship offers, including nine from Power 5 conferences.
A starter in 41 games, Moseley had 12 pancakes and 15 knockdowns this season for the Warriors (7-4). He graded at 98 percent in run block efficiency and at 92 percent as an open field blocker.
Moseley also proved to be a reliable target in the Warrior passing game. He finished the season with 19 catches for 260 yards and four touchdowns.
Moseley has also excelled in the classroom, where he made a 30 on the ACT. His math score, however, averaged out to a 34.
“That’s what I plan on going into, something that involves math, maybe something like engineering,” Moseley said.
Duke fits the bill both academically and athletically the most for Moseley.
“When I was at Duke, the coaching staff made me feel like I was welcome. They made me feel like I was part of the team there,” he said. “Just watching them practice, getting to watch a game, and be around the team, it really made me want to be a part of what they’ve got going on up there.
“The relationships I made, especially with Coach Watts. I visited Duke a little later. Throughout the process there was never really a school that stood out to me. I never really said to myself ‘I can really see myself going here for four years.’ Once I visited Duke for the first time, and met (Tight Ends) Coach (Justin) Watts and the staff, the campus and everything reminded me of home a lot. I’m just looking forward to getting up there.”
Getting up to Durham is coming rather quickly for Moseley. He’s graduating early from Cherokee County High School (Dec. 19) and reports to Durham on Jan. 4.
Holbert played in 38 games throughout his Warrior career. In 11 games last season, he had 44 pancake blocks with no pressures allowed and gave up just one sack. He had a 98 percent run block efficiency, and was 99 percent efficient when the Warrior backs ran behind him.
Holbert said his college interest skyrocketed during his junior year.
“I think I went to over 10 schools,” he said. “Me and my dad hit the road a lot. It was a great experience.”
Like Moseley with Duke, Holbert said Western Kentucky just felt like the right fit for him.
“It feels a lot like Centre,” Holbert said. “Everybody knows everybody. That’s what really hooked me. I love the small-town type of thing. They have a great coaching staff. They haven’t had a losing season since 2015. They’ve got new facilities. The program is steadily climbing. It’s just the best option for me. I’m excited to be a part of something like that.”
Holbert and Moseley both said they were excited to share their high school journeys together. Both also said it was fitting they signed with their respective schools on the same day.
“Throughout the years, me and Asa, we’ve both really come a long way,” Moseley said. “I’m proud of how far he’s come. Once he decided to go play football, he started taking care of the classroom, taking care of things on the field. From there, he just took off, and now we’re here. It’s just a special thing.”
“Ben started getting offers from colleges before I did, but he was always telling me ‘Your time’s coming soon,’” Holbert said. “I remember I got a call one night, and as soon as I got that offer, the first person I called was Ben Moseley. I was like ‘Bro, I did it. I got an offer.’ It’s been a great four years here. Me and Ben have done everything we could to win in this program.
“I never thought I’d make it this big in football. I’m just so happy I put the work in and did everything I could to make it this far. I’m very, very thankful for everything this program has done for me – Coach Kelley, Coach (Todd) Wheeler. I wouldn’t be nowhere without them. This just shows you can make it out of this program and can go Division I. It’s just great that we’re able to do that.”
