- Name: Gabe Blair
- Position: OL
- College: University of North Texas
- Height: 6′ 2″
- Weight: 298 lbs
- X: @GabeBlair29
- Instagram: @blair.gabe
What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?
I don’t think anything really made me decide. It’s just my parents put me in it and I started playing flag football when I was five and then just after that I just never stopped playing. I played other sports, but nothing really caught on besides football and I just got bigger and all that and then just it thankfully worked out.
What are your favorite moments from your football life?
My favorite moments honestly was probably this last year, just having an amazing year we had at UNT going from just barely making a bowl game the last four years, to we had a chance to go to the college football playoff, which was crazy. Also just a lot of my memories are from just the high school playoffs like our comeback in Cedar Hill and just a lot of great memories from the high school days.
If you could hang out with any football player past or present for a day, who and why?
Probably Lawrence Taylor, just to ask him about all the crazy stories and stuff cause I mean, the life he was living while playing football. I really can’t even fathom just how he was like playing football while doing all the stuff he was doing. Probably him just to hear all the crazy stories that he’s lived through and stuff.
What is your favorite offensive scheme and why?
Favorite offensive scheme probably just inside run. I just like running the rock down people’s throats. Thankfully this year at UNT we had to do that a lot with our freshman running back Caleb Hawkins. Thankfully for him, we were able to run the ball a lot.
What stands out about your film the most?
I think what stands out about my film the most would probably be my run blocking. What stands out the most, especially just solo blocks. Just getting people out of gaps and getting people moved down the field. Stuff like that some pancakes are in there, but really just locking people up and just staying on them and pushing them down the field.
What should we know about Gabe Blair the person?
I mean my life is really simple right now it’s just, mostly just take care of my son, chill out with my fiancé and just train right now. Just waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of and really just being a dad. It’s really just my life right now so I’m just going to enjoy it until I get an opportunity.
What do you love the most about the game of football?
The thing I love the most about football is just the people you’re around. Football is a huge team sport and not just the players but also the staff and it’s like the connections I made and the people I know from being at UNT for the past five years. Like I have great connections like the people in the front office and the training staff and it’s really just been awesome like all the connections I’ve been able to make and people I’ve been able to meet through UNT and playing football there.
Who is the most underrated player you played with and why?
My freshman year our center Manase Mose, I thought he was like a lot better than we were looked at but also back then like we weren’t great as UNT as a whole lI feel like him as a person because like during his day there was like one or two scouts like it was pretty sad and I think that he deserved a lot better than that.
What would a team get in a player like you?
I think a team would get out of me, I’m going give everything that I can, I only have one mission and that’s trying to be the best football player and dad that I can be every day. I mean, I’m going to do what I am told and be the most coachable I can be. Just put my head down and just push through whatever they need me to push through and just do what I’m told.
Writer/Scout/Interviewer for Draft Diamonds since January 2020. You can find me on X at @jrberendzen and Instagram at justinberendzen