Nate Gabriel, a junior nose guard for West Virginia University’s football team, is now considered one of the most experienced players on the roster at just 19 years old, according to an April 10 announcement from the university.
Gabriel’s early entry into college football came when he was forced to play as a true freshman at age 17 in 2024. He faced much older and more physically developed opponents, which posed significant challenges both physically and mentally. Despite these obstacles, Gabriel said he managed to adapt and grow from the experience. “Wyatt Milum – everybody knows Wyatt Milum,” he laughed. “During practice, I don’t know why I was playing three-(technique), but I’m playing a three-tech, and I’m usually a nose guard. It was Wyatt and Tomas (Rimac) on the same side and those two took me for a ride 10-15 yards down the field!”
Gabriel recalled that most of his competitors were six-year players while he had just graduated high school. “I’m like, ‘Six-year guys?’ I’m just coming out of high school and I’m having to play against these men! I was like, ‘I’ve got to hold my own, some way, somehow,’ and that’s what I did,” he said.
Now with two seasons behind him—including nine tackles and a sack in his first year—Gabriel has played in 24 Big 12 games. His teammates have begun calling him “Unc” because of his veteran status despite his young age. “Coming in about 2½ years ago, I never would have thought that now everybody (would be) calling me ‘Unc’ in the locker room even though I am only 19,” Gabriel shrugged.
Originally recruited as a mid-level prospect from Auburndale, Florida by Neal Brown’s staff with three-star ratings from major sports outlets, Gabriel entered college expecting time to develop before seeing significant action on the field. However, due to team needs at West Virginia University (WVU), he played right away against teams such as Albany and Kansas but struggled against others like Penn State.
Reflecting on his growth since freshman year—when learning the playbook proved challenging—Gabriel said: “I felt my freshman year could have been better but I felt what I did was decent.” Now one of only about thirty-four returning players from last season’s squad—and fewer than twenty remaining from coach Neal Brown’s era—he is looked upon for leadership within WVU’s locker room.
He emphasized that strength training has been crucial: “One thing you have to do is love the weight room,” Gabriel observed. “As a defensive lineman you have to be strong… or else it’s not going to work out for you.” Now weighing in at nearly three hundred pounds after two years’ development under strength coach Mike Joseph’s program guidance,
Gabriel feels better prepared than ever before.
West Virginia will resume practice next Monday ahead of Saturday’s Gold-Blue Spring Festival.
