Nate Gabriel Makes Promise to Remain Loyal to WVU, Step Up as a Leader

The veteran defensive lineman will be stepping out of his comfort zone to give WVU what it needs.

WVU Athletics Communications

You can count on one hand how many players are left from the Neal Brown era who are expected to make an impact for West Virginia on either side of the ball. Many of them have graduated or transferred out, but there are still a handful remaining, mainly on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive lineman Nate Gabriel is one of those dudes and is primed to have a breakout year as he is projected to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. He could have bounced when the coaching change was made, and he could have transferred after this past season, but he loves WVU and doesn't want to be someone who hops around from school to school. Staying at one place is important to him.

“I’m the same man since high school, never transferred. I’m going to be the same loyal man in college. Never transfer," he said. "I’m just a loyal guy, for real. I like sticking with my guys.”

Taking on a bigger role comes with bigger responsibility. Not only will he be asked to be one of West Virginia's top run stuffers this fall, but also to emerge as a leader. Defensive line coach William Green talked about that during his media availability on Monday.

“Big thing for him is just playing with the energy and effort he does every single day, and just being a leader. We talked to him about not just being a leader in the room, but also being a leader on the team because he’s kind of got that personality and he can do that.”

Gabriel admitted that being vocal doesn't come easily for him, despite having the personality to do it, as Green mentioned. It's something he's challenging himself to become more comfortable with every day.

“Going in before fall camp, really before summer, I was having talks with my coach; he was saying, ‘Yeah, you’re a good example leader, but we need you to be more of a vocal leader,’ and that’s what I’m working on. That’s what I’m trying to do better this fall camp. I definitely do have to step out of my comfort zone to do something like that because we do have vocal leaders, but we do need more in the room. Some days it comes natural to me; some days I don’t want to do it, but as that leader, you have to get up and do it.”

Given how inexperienced the Mountaineers are up front, they need Gabriel to be an impact player. He has shown flashes of it in the past, but they really need him to turn the corner this fall and bring his 'A' game every Saturday. The good news is, he's probably one of the most talked-about players on defense, dating back to spring. Rich Rodriguez, Zac Alley, and others have raved about the progress he has made.