Coming on strong: Gabriel Hill is dominating Naperville North’s charts on his way to the Big Ten
As far as Naperville North football players go, few if any have been as strong as senior Gabriel Hill.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle owns nearly all weightlifting records on the Huskies’ charts.
“He’ll break them again by the end of the summer just by how hard he works. He’s a special talent,” said Naperville North coach Sean Drendel.
“I don’t think I have the clean yet, that’s something to work on. But I definitely have a lot of squat and bench and deadlift ones right now,” said Hill, who has put up 405 pounds on bench press and squats about 550 pounds.
He did 29 repetitions at 185 pounds on the bench press Thursday during Naperville North’s Lineman Challenge. Hill then went outside in the 90-degree heat and ran 40 yards in 4.8 seconds.
A couple other linemen ran in the 4.7s, “but he’s got 150 pounds on them,” said the timer, Naperville North assistant coach Daniel McLaughlin.
So Hill is strong and he’s fast. What else?
“Great young man, first and foremost,” said Naperville North defensive coordinator Chris Arthurs.
“But his athletic ability is through the roof. He’s a very large young man who can do a lot of things athletically in tight spaces quickly.”
Also known as “Gabe,” Hill finished second on the Huskies in 2024 in solo tackles. From a defensive tackle position, that’s hard to do.
“He’s got it all,” Arthurs said. “Long arms, long reach, great hands, great feet. He’s quick, he can move, he’s got great change of direction.”
Hill also plays to the end of the whistle.
“He’s disruptive at the start of play,” Drendel said, “but he’s relentless at the end.”
Indiana University all saw this on video, and also Hill’s 26 tackles for loss and 9 sacks last year as a junior, and made him an offer.
Coach Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers, who shocked the world last year by winning 11 games and making the FBS playoffs, were among Hill’s 19 offers.
First recruited by Indiana defensive ends coach Buddha Williams and then by defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz, on May 17 Hill chose Indiana from among fellow finalists LSU and Iowa.
“They liked a lot about my speed and aggression on tape. I think I’m a really fast guy for my size and I think they kind of gravitate toward that,” said Hill, a prospective three-year all-conference player at Naperville North.
“I think coach Cignetti and coach Kuntz’s mindset, they’re ultra-, hypercompetitive people just like me. They take pride in winning. They’re building the biggest and the best thing they can build, and I’m just all in for it. They want to win national championships, so that’s what I’m here for.”
This season, Naperville North’s Arthurs plans to explore Hill’s full arsenal.
“I think we’re going to be able to do some more things outside of the edge of the defense with him that we didn’t do as much last year,” he said. “I think we’re going to try to move him around a little bit more from inside the D-line to outside.”
As in the weight room, Hill intends to finish strong in his senior season.
“Just giving all I have. It’s my last chance. There’s really nothing to lose, so it’s just trying to give everything I can out there and being the best version of myself this year,” Hill said.
“I’m just a really hard worker. I’m just excited to keep building off what I’ve done so far here at Naperville North, and on to Indiana.”