COCOUNT CREEK – Gabriel Birnbaum puts his heart and soul into everything he does on and off the field.
Fielding a total of 15 scholarship offers, the Monarch defensive lineman (‘24) has made it a point to not make his college recruiting process a prolonged one.
Birnbaum made sure to weigh all of his options carefully. And with that, a top one emerged.
Home is where the heart is at for Birnbaum, who announced on his Twitter handle this past Saturday (Sept. 23) that FAU will be his college football destination of choice.
Birnbaum spoke about what exactly went into his final decision to go back to his hometown for college.
“FAU offered me last Wednesday before practice,” Birnbaum said. “I committed to them immediately. I was so happy.”
Birnbaum on the overall environment at FAU:
“I had visited FAU quite a bit and absolutely love the campus and the football facilities,” Birnbaum said. “I really like the stadium and how inclusive it all is on campus. I think the environment is gonna be really good, not just at home but also the away games.”
Now with the FAU hard verbal commitment out of the way, Birnbaum’s focus will be on finishing his high school football career at Monarch (4-1 record as of now).
After five regular season games, here are Birnbaum’s stats:
•33 total tackles
•23 tackles for loss
•8 sacks
•2 forced fumbles
Birnbaum posted nine tackles – all for loss – and two sacks for Monarch in last Friday night’s 26-7 road win over Stoneman Douglas.
Moving on from Stoneman Douglas, Birnbaum may end up having his best game yet in Week 6. That happens tonight on the road against Olympic Heights (2-3) at 6:30 p.m.
Birnbaum will return to Boca Raton on the high school football level as well. He spoke on the Monarch-Olympic Heights matchup and what he expects from it.
“Coming back to play Olympic Heights in Boca Raton, it’s definitely going to be a fun matchup,” Birnbaum said. “I’m not really worried about them or their offensive line. I am confident that I’m gonna be the most dominant big man on the field, and I’m looking to make a statement as my senior year is closing. I am looking forward to taking a game plan that we put in place and putting it into action perfectly. I’m definitely looking to make this game push me into double digits in sacks and hit the 30 TFL marker.”
These are the marks that Birnbaum said he’s looking for tonight against Olympic Heights:
•5 sacks if Olympic Heights throws the ball
•8 TFL’s (tackles for loss) if Olympic Heights does not throw the ball much or at all
Can Olympic Heights surprise everyone by changing the game in its own way? Or will Birnbaum’s goals actually be realized tonight?
We will find out soon enough.
Stay tuned for a game recap and more.
PHOTO CREDIT: Shot by 17
