Steelers Invite All-American Discus Thrower to Rookie Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a defensive tackle with an extremely interesting background to their rookie minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex next weekend.

Gabe Oladipo is a 6-foot-2, 295 pound defensive end from Missouri City, Texas that has never played a single regulation snap of college football. 

He’s headed to the Steel City‼️

Congrats, @ShowtimeGeee! pic.twitter.com/R40mrWPx6t

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) May 5, 2023

A three-sport star at Hightower High School in Missouri City, Oladipo chose to purse a track and field carer in college at first. He attended Texas A&M from 2018-19 as a thrower. 

Oladipo then transferred to Texas Tech in 2020. With the Red Raiders, he continued to participate in the hammer throw, discus throw and shot put. He won the 2021 Big 12 weight throw during the indoor track season and the 2021 Big 12 discus title during the outdoor season. At the NCAA indoor championships, he finished 12th in the weight throw and 27th in discus.

In 2022, he defended his Big 12 weight throw championship and finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He finished his track career holing eight of Tech’s top 10 all-time marks in the weight throw and eight of the top 10 in discus.

Oladipo was granted an NCAA waiver for an additional year of eligibility in order to play football. He became part of the Texas Tech football team as a defensive end, but did not play in any game action, instead serving as part of the scout team throughout the season.

At Texas Tech’s pro day this spring, Oladipo posted a 28.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-2 broad jump, put up 29 bench press reps and ran a 4.97-second 40-yard dash. That would have been seventh among defensive tackles at the 2023 NFL combine.

The Steelers have experience with non-traditional athletes in the past. The team had former rugby player Christian Scotland-Williamson on its practice squad from 2018-20. In 1989, the team drafted Johnstown native Carlton Haselrig, who was a multiple-time NCAA champion as a wrestler but had never player college football. He went on to a Pro Bowl career as a guard from 1989-95.