Friday Night Drive’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year: Nazareth’s Gabe Kaminski

Tim Racki only needed 10 minutes to realize Gabe Kaminski had the potential to be great.

That epiphany happened nearly three-and-a-half years ago during Nazareth’s first summer camp practice. The Roadrunners coach had Kaminski, an-incoming freshman with a big frame, compete in varsity individual and group drills curious to see how he’d fare.

After 10 minutes, Racki had seen enough. He tapped Kaminski on the shoulder pads and told him he’d be on the varsity roster.

“He was going up against Division-I players that we had here, all-conference players,” Racki said. “[He was] not only holding his own, but winning his fair share of battles as a freshman.”

Those were just the first of many battles Kaminski would win over the next four seasons. Kaminski quickly became one of the state’s top defensive players and caught the attention of some of the nation’s top college programs.

And he made history along the way.

Nazareth won back-to-back historic state championships and its third straight state title with Kaminski as its defensive catalyst. Kaminski also broke the IHSA’s career sacks record with 42 and finished second all-time in solo tackles with 405.

For his historic season and decorated career, Kaminski is Friday Night Drive’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

“It’s amazing,” Kaminski said of his career. “I was never really focused on the stats or anything. … But it’s a testament to the coaches who put me in this position and my teammates around me who allow me to make those plays.”

Positioning himself to stay ahead of the curve was always Kaminski’s top priority throughout his career. He quickly garnered attention after an impressive freshman season yielded collegiate offers from Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin. Opponents started double-teaming him or running their plays opposite Kaminski.

Instead of getting frustrated, Kaminski used his skills in the classroom to find solutions in the film room. Kaminski used the same strategies he learned in his AP and honors classes to look for clues in an opponent’s film in order to overcome roadblocks.

“AP classes and honors classes, they have you think outside the box,” Kaminski said. “Watching film is the same way. You have to think of all the different scenarios when the teams run plays. If one read isn’t there, who’s the quarterback going to go to next in the pass game or in the run game, cut-back lanes and all that.”

These solution-seeking missions helped Kaminski adjust to change in last season’s state championship game and this season. To overcome opponents trying to go away from Kaminski, Nazareth moved him back to middle linebacker in last season’s Class 5A state championship after playing on the defensive line for much of his high school career.

Kaminski hadn’t played linebacker since youth football but didn’t show it. He finished with 15 total tackles, four for a loss, 1.5 sacks and intercepted a key pass to help the Roadrunners win.

The Roadrunners kept Kaminski at linebacker this year and he continued to find solutions. He consistently read what the offense was doing in front of him and found his way to the ball even if he faced an extra blocker or the play went away from him.

Kaminski finished with 150 total tackles, 17 for a loss, and five sacks. He also balanced playing offensively as a blocking tight end. Kaminski earned Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State honors and the CCL/ESCC Green’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The physical talent with his 6-foot-3, 230-pounds frame was always there for Kaminski. But finding solutions to overcome obstacles helped him become great.

“He was raised with this impeccable drive to succeed in the classroom and on the field,” Racki said. “He never separated those two. He works just as hard in the classroom as he did on the field and that shows.”

Kaminski’s career begs the question of where he ranks amongst the best in Nazareth’s history. There’s plenty of competition.

His teammate senior quarterback Logan Malachuk also won three championships and set two IHSA career records. There’s also program greats Julian Love and J.J. McCarthy, both of whom are currently playing in the NFL.

“It’s amazing. I was never really focused on the stats or anything. … But it’s a testament to the coaches who put me in this position and my teammates around me who allow me to make those plays.”

—  Gabe Kaminski, Nazareth senior

Racki hates the practice of ranking his players. In his view, Love was the team’s best all-around player in all three phases. But Kaminski is the program’s greatest defensive player of all-time.

While Kaminski appreciates the praise, he’s not sure he can compare himself to Love or McCarthy yet. In the meantime, he’ll head off to Stanford finding the solutions to get there.

“I still feel like I have a lot to prove,” Kaminski said. “But high school-wise, if people want to put me up there with them, I’d be grateful for that. They’re phenomenal athletes and people, so that’d be truly a blessing.”