Mustafa Khaleefah, 17, of Dearborn, puts his helmet on at the start of practice on Tuesday, April 30, 2016, at Dearborn High School, in Dearborn, MI. Khaleefah didn’t start playing football until his sophomore.
If the Detroit Free Press had an award for most improved player, Dearborn’s Mustafa Khaleefah would win by a landslide.
Even better, he is the All-West team captain – a well-earned honor for one of high school sport’s more amazing stories.
In the span of about 27 months, beginning in the fall of his sophomore year, Khaleefah went from never playing football – American football that is – to becoming one of the best offensive linemen in the state with a verbal commitment to play Big Ten football at Michigan State.
Khaleefah did play soccer when growing up in Iraq, but due to the constant danger in the war-torn country, his family made a couple moves in the Middle East before landing in Virginia, where he continued to play soccer. The family eventually moved to Michigan where Dearborn varsity football coach John Powell saw Khaleefah in school.
“One of my assistant coaches nicknamed him ‘Whiz’ because he was like a whiz-kid, and that’s still what we call him,” Powell said. “As a sophomore was 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and he could run like crazy. He just kept impressing us every day.”
He now stands 6-6 and 285 pounds, but hasn’t lost the quickness or agility.
Khaleefah accepted the prodding to give American football a try. He played three games on the JV squad before Powell brought him up to varsity. He never left. His skill set needed a lot of work but Khaleefah kept growing, kept learning the game, kept lifting weights.
“I think he went from being a big kid who was a good high school football player, to being a big kid who might be one of the best players in the country,” Powell said of Khaleefah’s progress this season alone. “I think that’s how much he improved. He was already all-league (last year), really good, but he really became dominant physically and mentally.”
According to Powell, Khaleefah never missed a game or any practices, and was blessed to complete his high school career injury free. He allowed only two sacks in three years on the offensive line, none this season.
“My footwork, my technique throughout each game has improved,” Khaleefah said about his senior season. “Last year I was mostly playing off of strength but this year I’ve got a lot more technique. It makes me feel more complete, putting it all together just makes me feel like a better player.
“It was kind of a weird change (from soccer) but I really enjoy football more. The level of aggression between the two is of course very big and I’ve just enjoyed football so much more.”
Powell said that even when Khaleefah got the offer to MSU, he kept working, didn’t act cocky and always wanted to improve.
“He has work to do to be an elite level player in the Big Ten,” Powell added. “He’s going to have to keep working like he’s doing, and if he does that I think they’re going to be really impressed.”
Dearborn Edsel Ford Coach Mark Tyler said: “Mustafa has a great skill set of athleticism and size. He had the ability to control the line of scrimmage and set the tone of a game from the first snap.”
► All-Detroit: Cass Tech’s Hall, People-Jones click on, off the field
► All-Detroit football first team offense, defense
► All-East: Eisenhower’s Max Wittwer helps the Eagles soar
► Detroit Free Press All-East football team
► All-North: Cody White did it all for Walled Lake Western
► Detroit Free Press All-North football teams
COACH OF THE YEAR: River Rouge’s Corey Parker has been named All-West coach of the year for the second consecutive season, leading what has become one of the most solid programs in the state. River Rouge was Division 5 state runner up last season, and reached the Div. 4 semifinals this year before going down to then-undefeated Detroit Country Day.
This was the seventh consecutive year the Panthers reached the playoffs, starting one year after Parker, the school’s Dean of Students, took over in 2009.
“Sometimes you beat yourself up after the game, wish we could have won, wish we could have beaten Country Day, wish we could have made it to another state championship game,” Parker said. “But after talking with other coaches, buddies of mine, that have been coaching for 25-30 years, they’re reminding me what River Rouge has done in eight years is to go farther than they’ve done in decades, so I’ve learned to appreciate the game even more. It’s just my competitive spirit that wants so much more for the kids.
“It’s been great to see what our school district has done to help so many different kids, and give them the opportunity to be successful in the classroom and on the field. We’re very proud of where we’re at but we’re not complacent. We’ll keep working harder.”