Fire and ice.
That might be the best way to describe the contrast between Naperville North senior defensive tackle Gabriel Hill’s dominance on the football field and his low-key demeanor off it.
“He’s pretty nonchalant,” Naperville North senior guard Connor Schultze said. “But when he gets on the field, it’s like he flips that switch.
“That’s almost a little corny to say, but it really is true.”
Indeed, the difference is striking. When Hill isn’t between the lines, he’s polite, humble and soft-spoken.
But the spotlight is drawn like a magnet to the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Hill once the whistle blows. The Indiana commit is a human highlight reel.
As he enters his third varsity season, Hill already holds Naperville North’s single-season and career records for tackles for loss and the career record for sacks. Huskies coach Sean Drendel predicts Hill will break the single-season sack record too.
“He’s twitchy, he’s big and powerful, and he’s a student of the game,” Drendel said. “When Bo Richter was here, he took a lot of time to listen to and learn from Bo. When Bo comes back, he’ll work with Gabe a little bit with pass rush stuff so he can get better.”
Hill already is elite.
“We face him every day, every practice,” Schultze said. “Every time we’re doing a team drill or when we do one-on-ones, we know we’re going against the best.
“At some points it’s not fun, but also it makes the O-line a lot better because he’s probably the best defensive line player we’re going to face all season. It makes it a lot easier.”
Drendel first saw Hill when he was in fifth grade.
“We knew Gabe would be pretty good,” Drendel said. “He was a big kid at the time. He comes from a good athletic family. His mom was a shot put and discus record-holder here once.”
Naperville North’s Gabriel Hill (99) knocks down a pass by Naperville Central’s Sebastian Hayes (5) during a game at North Central College in Naperville on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / Naperville Sun)
Hill said he gets his athleticism from his mother, Kristen. His father, James, a pharmacist, provided other key traits, Hill said.
“He’s really intellectual,” Hill said. “He was a really good musician, so that’s where the discipline and intellect is from. He was No. 1 in the state in saxophone.”
But Hill did not inherit musical talent from his father, however.
“I tried drums, but I didn’t have the rhythm for it,” Hill said. “It was kind of boring to me, so I just focused on football.”
Which is for the best for the Huskies.
“He’s a good teammate because guys want to be like him. … He’s all business, all the time, and he’s very effective,” Drendel said.
Schultze has seen that up close.
“He’s just very determined,” Schultze said of Hill. “He’s very committed to what he wants to do.”
That entails efforts that the fans don’t see from Hill.
“He’s made a lot of sacrifices,” Schultze said. “I am friends with him outside football, and he’s pretty much constantly at the gym. Even after hanging out with his other friends, he’ll ask to be dropped off at the gym. That’s where he wants to be.
“Also, he’ll spend time at the field just by himself. We have blocking dummies out there, and he’ll spend time practicing on his technique out there, just by himself.”
Naperville North’s Gabriel Hill (99) gets around a block during a practice in Naperville on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Troy Stolt / Naperville Sun)
But Hill’s success is not a solo effort.
“I just think it’s having the right environment around you,” he said. “I have a lot of friends and a good family, so they keep me busy.
“If it was just football, then I’d be totally distracted. I couldn’t be the player that I am right now.”
Drendel considers Hill one of the best players in the state. The Huskies are depending on it.
“He has to be really good,” Drendel said. “Great players got to play great in situations when you need it the most. I think he’ll do that.”
At Indiana, Hill will be reunited with former Naperville North quarterback Jacob Bell, who gave him some valuable insight into the program.
But Hill said Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was the biggest reason he picked the Hoosiers over other suitors like Iowa, LSU and Notre Dame.
“The meeting I had with him changed a lot because I want a super hypercompetitive coach, and I felt like he was the best one,” Hill said. “He was really in-depth and passionate about it, and he’s got a track record of winning. It’s going to be exciting.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/12/football-indiana-gabriel-hill-naperville-north/