Gabalis is as charismatic as his upper lip suggests

BY GAVIN PATRICK

Sports Editor

One thing stands out about Victor Gabalis: the stache.

He debuted the look as Tarleton State quarterback ahead of the 2024 football season. And ever since, it has elevated his persona in ways only he can fully fathom.

“I think the mustache kind of just represents who I am,” Gabalis said. “It shows I can be serious but have a lot of fun at the same time.

“I just grow out facial hair just to have fun with it and see how long [it can grow], see if I can curl it. I enjoy those little things.”

Gabalis grew up in Duvall, Washington, a place where mustaches are not as widespread as they are in Texas. So while Texan Nation has embraced the stache as something close to a spirit animal, Gabalis still surprises people when he goes back home.

“I’ll never forget this one time,” Gabalis said, “I was with a bunch of people at some person’s house, and my buddy’s father came out and he was like:

“Dude, I’ve never seen a mustache. Great mustache, man.”

“And I was like, ‘Only in Washington I’d get that,’” Gabalis said, laughing. “So, I do get comments on it. It’s kind of funny.”

Besides leaving Tarleton State as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (8,272), second in touchdown passes (71) and with many other school records, that is what people will remember most about Gabalis, having exhausted his playing eligibility.

He wasn’t just a quarterback; he was bigger than football.

Senior wide receiver Peyton Kramer is Gabalis’ closest friend on the team. The two have been roommates for the past year and have become inseparable at times.

In fact, Gabalis was Kramer’s sponsor when he got confirmed into the Catholic church last spring. That’s where the heart of their friendship lies, as two brothers in Christ.

“I tell him this every week, but the ultimate goal, yes, is to win football games and do as best as we can on the field. But the ultimate goal is to make it to heaven,” Kramer said. “So, that’s kind of where our friendship comes from, is the Lord, and that’s why it’s just all been a blessing.”

Kramer recalled a time last spring when he brought Gabalis over to his grandparents’ house for dinner.

His grandparents are big on their faith, just like Gabalis, and that evening told Kramer everything he needed to know about his quarterback.

“We just sat down and talked about God and a whole bunch of things,” Kramer said. “My grandfather was telling history stories, and Victor was super respectful and just very interested in what my grandparents had to say.

“A lot of kids our age and this generation, they’re like, ‘Oh, what does this old guy have to say?’ But he was super invested and he was super respectful to my grandparents, and that was definitely one of the most fun days we’ve had.”

Gabalis has had a lot of fun days on the football field, too. But they didn’t come as fast as he had hoped.

Gabalis started his college career, fittingly, in the footsteps of another famously lip-haired quarterback, Gardner Minshew, at Washington State in 2020. Those weren’t easy days.

“I was way too hard on myself when I was younger,” Gabalis said. “I would just beat myself up till I couldn’t beat myself no more. It was beating a dead horse.”

Gabalis didn’t start a game in two years for the Cougars before pivoting to Utah Tech for a year in 2022, where he finally broke out in the final four games, throwing for 1,452 yards and 15 touchdowns, with back-to-back five touchdown games, and going 3-0 in division play.

One of those wins was against Tarleton State, where he found a permanent home the following year. But he still had room to grow.

“Man, I was a brute when I first came here,” Gabalis laughed. “And a lot of that is just, how you treat yourself is how you treat others.”

Gabalis said he credits the game of football for helping him grow into himself and learn to not be so hard on himself in times of struggle.

“As long as you’re progressing forward, that’s all that matters,” Gabalis said. “Football’s really taught me that, and my ability to not be as hard on myself and care for others has paid off. Makes me feel much better about myself and my life.”

The former “brute” has come to be known as an energetic and fun-loving individual, but he’s also as intense as anyone on the field.

One thing that has helped Gabalis rein in his focus is having hobbies outside of football so he isn’t “burnt out” come gameday.

“I think you gotta have a balance in your life,” Gabalis said. “Like for me, I am the biggest piano guy. I love piano, I love to draw, I love to fish, I love to hunt, I love to be outside, I love to ride dirt bikes; all these things, you know. I’ll watch fishing videos in my free time.

“That just allows for me to be free. And then as soon as I hit the field, that switch is flipped, and I’m hungry and ready to go.”

Gabalis also made plenty of time to improve dramatically as a quarterback at Tarleton State from year one to year three.

“I had the understanding and the knowledge to throw, but my accuracy was a little bit like a paintball got sprayed all over the place,” Gabalis said.

Gabalis credits his quarterback coach, Adam Austin, for helping hone his mechanics and marry his good decision making with better accuracy, especially in third down situations.

“The last two years, all the way leading up even till today, I’m still working on my mechanics, and it’s allowed me to be able to see and process things better and be able to put the ball in spots that I couldn’t before,” Gabalis said.

The main difference in the stat sheet for Gabalis has been the turnovers—or lack thereof in his latter games.

Gabalis went from throwing 29 interceptions in his first 34 collegiate games to throwing just nine in his final 17 games, including a stretch where he went nine of 10 games without an interception.

Gabalis credits the improvement to getting on the same page with his receivers—through film study and throwing sessions—and learning to see the field the same way as his receivers.

“A lot of interceptions that happened, I would throw to a spot thinking somebody was running in there and they wouldn’t,” Gabalis said. “And that’s on me.

“[Now] they’ve gotten to spots where I can see the coverage and I don’t even look at them, but I just throw them to a spot and they just roll right into the window [and] catch the ball. So, credit it to my receivers. They bought into it.”

Now, with his time at Tarleton in the rearview, Gabalis has his eyes set on the next level of quarterbacking.

He may be far from the most sought-after prospect, coming from the FCS ranks, but he knows it’s time to take a shot at the NFL while the chance still exists.

“Why not? I might as well just throw my name in there,” Gabalis said. “I love the game, and if God wants me to do that, then it sounds good.”

Gabalis will always be in touch with God on where life should take him, just as his stache is in touch with his upper lip.

“Whatever it is, I’ll just continue to move forward and become the best version of myself,” Gabalis said.

“There’s only one life to live.”