Matteo Gentile '23 Recruiting Profile

When I was young, my family and I lived in Italy. My father is Italian and soccer was the fabric of our culture in and out of the home as well as one of my connections to him. When my parents divorced, my mom, older brother, Luca, and I moved back to the States in search of a special education program that could support Luca’s needs as he is on the Spectrum. Luca is the most intelligent guy I know and I love him dearly but we didn’t have a typical brotherly relationship as a result of who he is. My mom was often consumed with finding ways for him to thrive. This left me in need of connection. I continued playing soccer. I morphed into an A team goalie. My father was proud of me. It kept our connection alive despite his living back and forth between Italy and NYC. But I never loved the game. I don’t know why, but I was never able to create a brotherhood/connection on a soccer field. 

The first time I was drawn to American Football was when I went to a friend’s house whose dad was passionately watching the game. From then, I wanted in on it despite that it wasn't a part of my home culture and it would potentially further distance me from my dad. Additionally, the town I grew up in, the highly academic town of Lexington, MA, was not a promoter of the sport due to its potential injuries. Therefore, football was not highly regarded. After years of negotiations with my parents, some which were heated, I walked away from a starring position as goalie on a top ranked soccer team to an underdeveloped and low ranking football team. 

From day one, I was hooked. I was pulled into the fold and I had an instant connection with the coaches, the team, the field and the game. I loved being able to channel my energy with my other team members. I worked hard, maybe harder than everyone else since I didn’t have a particular football acumen. I also felt a slight imposter syndrome. Can I be American and Italian or do I have to swap one for the other?. So, I started lifting weights, tweaking my diet for optimal performance, learning all I could from my coaches, and trainers.  When COVID hit, our season was pushed to a short shoulder season in the early Spring of my sophomore year. This set us back both on the field and in the classroom. So, I studied film, watched videos, talked to adults that played the game in high school or college. When I was voted Captain at the end of my junior year, I knew my hard work had paid off. The new challenge ahead was to have the ability to lead my team in the face of a tough season and be a role model. My coaches often would tell me to ease up in practices and save it for the game. But they didn’t know that I wanted the younger kids to see what it looked like to give your all 100% of the time. There are staggering losses we've had on the field where the morale of the team was dependent on me to redirect their anger or frustration, keep us all aligned and in the game, sometimes, to the bitter end.  

Football has shown me that I can achieve any goal I set forth with hard work, discipline, and heart no matter the odds. The structure and discipline I have learned on the field carries over off the field as well. It has helped shape my direction as I want to be able to continue to learn academically more about team leadership in a business sense. No matter where I end up, being a part of a team will be paramount for me. On whichever team I end up being a part of, I will be a committed, passionate and serious player.  I look forward to this opportunity and what lies ahead.