Fatorma Mulbah didn’t know anything about the game of football when he first arrived in the states.
The Liberian-born defensive tackle came to America with his family after being selected in the visa lottery when he was around 12 years old during an Ebola outbreak.
“I remember on the plane. We landed at JFK airport and saw the lights in New York,” he said.
His family settled in Hershey, Pennsylvania and while he spoke some English had to adjust to a completely different environment which is always difficult. But even then Mulbah knew the opportunities available in America and was excited to start that process.
Over time, his English improved as he spent time with his friends and he also started to get interested in sports. Mulbah would eventually move to Harrisburg and given his size, he didn’t really have to search for the game of football because his high school coach found him.
“I didn’t know what the sport was. I had to learn everything,” he said.
It took some time for him to develop, but Mulbah showcased his potential on his first play.
“It was a sack and I had no idea what I was doing. No technique, they just put me in there,” he said.
That would change as Mulbah was named team MVP as a senior at Susquehanna Township High School with 51 tackles, 12 sacks, nine tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. That development would lead him to Penn State where he would spend three seasons mostly as a reserve before transferring to West Virginia where he was put in a different position more fine-tuned to his skill set.
The Mountaineers offered him a chance to rekindle a relationship with Andrew Jackson who recruited him during his initial process to James Madison. Combine that with the culture in the program and the proximity to home made it a strong fit in Morgantown.
That led to his most productive season appearing in all 13 games, starting one, and recording 25 tackles and three tackles for loss. Now, in his second season, Mulbah is a starter on the interior for the West Virginia defensive line and has made massive strides in his development.
Particularly in one area.
“Film study, that's something I added to my game the past year or two,” he said. “Just watching more film and understanding what the offense will do.”
Mulbah had the chance to square off against his former team in the opener and while he didn’t get the results he wanted, the senior is optimistic things will improve.
“We have to affect the quarterback more. We didn’t do that,” he said. “Some alignment issues, we have to fix that. Overall we just have to get better.”
Mulbah is a long way from his roots and has yet to return to Liberia since he left, but is excited about how he has developed and is looking forward to the rest of his final season.
“We have good leadership and we’re going to go back to work and put this game behind us and play a good team against Albany and try to be 1-0,” he said.
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