Nazareth’s Gabe Kaminski ‘fired-up’ with commitment to Stanford

Nazareth junior Gabe Kaminski had a strong feeling that wouldn’t go away after visiting Stanford in mid-April.

No matter how much time passed since he visited the school’s campus, it didn’t matter. He continued to feel a strong connection as if he was still in California.

Kaminski took that as a sign that he had found his new home. He committed to Stanford on April 27.

“To be able to be finished with this process and finish it at such a prestigious university, a prestigious football program, it’s a blessing,” Kaminski said. “I’m super fired up.”

Kaminski ended a process that started when Iowa offered him first during his freshman season. Since then, Kaminski earned offers from some of the top Power Four schools in the nation, including Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

He had visited campuses over the years, but when Kaminski finally got to Stanford’s campus for a visit April 12 and 13 everything felt different. It started with Kaminski’s relationship with Stanford defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Bobby April after April had recruited Kaminski during his time with Wisconsin.

The strong connection transferred to the rest of the coaching staff, the facilities and all the people that Kaminski met during his visit. The school also offered one of the best computer science programs in the nation, something Kaminski wants to study.

“I just instantly felt what a special place it was,” Kaminski said. “All these coaches tell me when you find the place, you’ll feel it in your heart. I truly didn’t feel that anywhere else until I visited Stanford.”

Kaminski decided to wait a couple of days after leaving Stanford to officially make his decision. He considered other schools such as Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State, but the strong feeling he felt at Stanford didn’t go away.

He didn’t want other coaches to waste their time and resources if he already knew where he wanted to go.

“Stanford was the same feeling when I visited,” Kaminski said.

Rivals lists Kaminski as a four-star prospect, the ninth-best weakside edge in Illinois and the 15th best in the nation in the Class of 2025. 247Sports ranks Kaminski as a three-star prospect, 11th best in the state and 32nd at his position in the country.

Kaminski is coming off a dominant season for the Roadrunners. He earned Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State honors and was named the CCL/ESCC Orange Lineman of the Year. Kaminski had 132 tackles, 43 for loss, with 19 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

“To be able to be finished with this process and finish it at such a prestigious university, a prestigious football program, it’s a blessing. I’m super fired-up.”

—  Gabe Kaminski, Nazareth junior

Nazareth coach Tim Racki doesn’t doubt that Kaminski at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds has the athleticism to compete at the Power Four level. Kaminski’s versatility thanks to his wrestling career makes him an elite prospect.

“You couple that athleticism with the toughness and the skills that he applies from wrestling into football and you’ve got a five-star player on your hands,” Racki said. “That’s what Gabe is.”

Kaminski is glad to be done with the recruiting process so he can focus on his senior season. He’s won two straight state championships with Nazareth and is ready to cap his career with a three-peat.

“I’m getting chills thinking about getting back out onto the field with all my teammates and taking another crack at a state championship,” Kaminski said. “I’m really excited and looking forward to it.”