ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a hot summer morning and Gio Frongillo is putting in the work toward his goal of playing football in college. 

“I just became addicted to it. It’s something I love to do. They say when you do what you love to do, you never work a day in your life and that’s what it feels like. I feel like I’m not doing any type of work. I’m just doing what I love,” said Frongillo.

Ernest Wiggins II, owner and founder of Atlas Speed Training LLC, has been coaching Gio for the last 10 years, so he knows Gio’s work ethic first-hand.

“If I had to put a comparison to an astronaut or a surgeon because he wants to get everything right and he goes until it is done right and if he doesn’t understand it, he keeps working on it until he understands it. It’s hard to find athletes like that,” Wiggins said. 

The recent Freedom High School graduate is a rare athlete who learned to keep his head held high despite the tough times while playing football throughout high school.

“My parents always taught me at a young age when times got tough, battling through adversity. I had three different head coaches in four years, four different coordinators, adapting to new things. Being able to adjust. Things may not always go your way,” said Frongillo.

Things haven’t gone his way.

Gio often gets overlooked because of his size, but that hasn’t stopped him from chasing greatness.

“Never allow yourself to become vulnerable. Never take it when people, coaches, or anybody doubts you. Whether it’s in a job or in a sport, you are going to be doubted. Not to be clique but use it. It’s something that you should be using to your advantage and not let it get you down,” he said.

Gio is constantly pushing himself thanks to motivation from his family.

“They have pushed me so hard. It’s just one of those things always in the back of my head, like I want to make them proud. I want to live up to their expectations. I am not scared of failure. I am just scared of not living up to my own personal expectations,” he said.

Gio’s next step is college, where he hopes to walk on to the USF football team while continuing to put in the work every day.

“I’ve always told him, don’t you ever give up because you have it and when the right coach sees it, the sky is going to be the limit,” said Wiggins.