The home screen on his phone is a daily reminder of what he’s working toward.
Any time Gabe Osenda stares down at the illuminated phone in his hand — and like most teenagers, that’s a never-ending routine — he is met not by a memorable photo or selfie moment, but by a to-do list of lofty goals he has set for himself.
The Baylor School junior offensive lineman took another step toward reaching several of those goals Saturday afternoon, when he announced his commitment to the University of Tennessee during NBC’s live broadcast of the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
“I had originally planned to made my decision later this summer, so at first I was a little nervous about committing so early because I had a lot of coaches from other schools that I had built relationships with,” said Osenda, who was also considering Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
“But the more I thought about Tennessee, I just realized that’s the place I have been most comfortable with for a while. After that, there was nothing to be nervous about and I felt really good about my decision.”