05/06/2015
Former SUNY Cortland defensive end Gabe Ostrow ’14 knew his name wasn’t going to be called during the 2015 NFL Draft, but he held out hope for a try-out invitation in the days that followed.
Sunday and Monday passed without a phone call, which led him to believe it never would come. A short Tuesday morning phone conversation, however, lifted Ostrow’s spirits.
The Nanuet, N.Y., native will participate in a three-day rookie minicamp with the NFL’s Washington Redskins beginning Friday, May 15. He likely will compete as an inside linebacker or fullback for an invitation to training camp alongside Division I All-Americans from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.
“I was really excited and shocked, of course,” said Ostrow, who measures six feet tall and 245 pounds. “I’ve been working for this forever and it’s been pretty hard knowing that the opportunity might never come.
“It meant sacrificing a lot.”
The former community health major graduated in December and returned home to Rockland County to train for professional football full time. He received multiple job offers that did not involve football, but turned them down to focus on a more immediate NFL dream.
“My coaches and parents were great because they could see that I wanted this and they supported me all along,” said the former second-team All New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) member, crediting SUNY Cortland defensive coordinator Tunde Agboke for helping him network with NFL-caliber talent. “(Agboke) pushed me to get better, and that helped a lot.”
Ostrow traveled to Miami in December to compete in the inaugural Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Bowl, which showcased players mostly from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA. This past fall, Ostrow led SUNY Cortland’s football team with three forced fumbles, tied for first on the team with two fumble recoveries and 24 quarterback hurries, and finished second with 13 tackles for losses.
He caught the attention of several scouts and signed with an agent during the trip to Miami. Then he spent the next five months staying in top athletic shape.
“I needed to take the chance to train,” he said.
Ostrow was set to work with Penn State University’s football team as a strength and conditioning staff intern this summer and was getting settled in State College, Pa., when he received the phone call from the Washington Redskins’ representative. There’s no contract attached to the tryout, but a small window of opportunity has opened.
“I’m excited, but I’m not celebrating yet,” Ostrow said. “Obviously, the goal now is to make the team.”
He would become the second Red Dragon to make an NFL roster. Former defensive lineman R-Kal Truluck, another Rockland County native, played four seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, and finished with eight career sacks.
Ostrow plans to spend the next week at home in Nanuet before flying to Washington, D.C., next Thursday.
“I’m going to do more drills type stuff, a lot more conditioning … just stay home and then work out all day,” he said. “That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing since I graduated.”