How Khalil Mack's family helped him annihilate his 'soft' reputation
Second in a series exploring the origin stories of three of the Chargers' top defensive players with Florida roots.
Today, edge rusher Khalil Mack, whose harmony at home helped shape him as a player — and a man.
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FORT PIERCE, Fla. — He could see the potential in all that mass and all those muscles, the physical promises so pronounced that the kid's high school coach begged his father to let him play.
Robert Wimberly knew Khalil Mack could fit in at Liberty University right away and maybe, if things went well, with two more years of development be ready for a larger football program.
Then a Liberty assistant, Wimberly was the only college coach who showed interest in Mack, a prospect left on the periphery because of a high school career that covered a single season.
The staff at Florida said Mack couldn't play in the Southeastern Conference. Miami's coaches expressed similar doubts about his Atlantic Coast Conference chances. Others questioned whether Mack was explosive enough or flexible enough.
A sport that values so highly what it can see on tape lacked sufficient evidence — just 12 games? — on Mack.
But Wimberly had seen enough of his 140 stops during that one fall at Westwood High to appreciate that, as a linebacker, he played with something all defensive coaches believe they can build upon: a solid base.
What Wimberly didn't realize until he sat down with Mack one night for dinner — along with Mack's parents and two brothers — was how impressive the kid's foundation was, as well.
"It was almost like the Huxtables, you know, on the 'The Cosby Show,' "
