Gavin Bonanno '26 Recruiting Profile

I have played a lot of sports in my lifetime, but none of them felt quite right for me . . . until football.  After my first football game I realized that I finally felt at home playing a sport.  From conditioning to practice to games, it all just felt right for me and from that moment on, football has become a part of almost every aspect of my life.  My sport has pushed me to be a better athlete, student and overall person.   I have always been a pretty good student, but football gave me the motivation to become an even better student.  I have always liked to work out, but football pushed me to work out harder than ever before.  I think the fact that football has motivated me in all areas of my life is something that makes me unique.  I have come to understand the importance of being a well-rounded person instead of just a well-rounded athlete.  Coming in to my Freshman season, my goals were (1) to give 100% every day, (2) make positive impacts on and off the field, (3) excel academically and (4) learn everything and anything I could from my experiences.  I'm happy to say that I feel confident that I accomplished those goals.  I lead my Freshman team in sacks, learned new positions, took advantage of opportunities to volunteer, made the Honor Roll and took every possible opportunity to learn, ask questions and watch film.  I plan to continue to build upon my core goals through high school so that I am ready academically, athletically and mentally for the transition to college.