Jared Gerbino once dreamed of making it to the NFL. Instead, a change in position and a chance connection with his Italian roots have taken him somewhere he never expected – the Olympic Games.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Rochester native is now headed for LA28 in Italian colors. Gerbino helped the national team punch its ticket to the Games, earning Italy the first Olympic berth in men’s flag football. “I think we have a shot of gold. I think it’s going to be us and USA in the championship game again,” Gerbino said.
Long before LA28 entered the picture, Gerbino had already made a name for himself back home in Rochester. The Rush-Henrietta standout emerged as one of Section V’s leading quarterbacks before taking his talents to Dartmouth and continuing his football career at the college level.
“I really couldn’t go wrong with choosing Dartmouth,” Gerbino said after committing to the school in 2016. “I went from a great coaching staff here with great teammates to going into a great coaching staff there.” But his career eventually took an unexpected turn.
After playing college football, Gerbino continued his career overseas in Italy. That move opened a door he never knew existed. “Flag football was never on my mind, to be honest. Even when I was playing overseas, I didn’t know a thing until I got reached out to by the coaches,” he said.
The message changed everything. “They told me, ‘Hey, you’re a citizen of Italy, you can play for the national team,'” Gerbino recalled.
Gerbino was born in the United States but holds Italian citizenship through his grandparents. In 2022, he joined Italy’s national setup and began learning a sport that had never been part of his original plans. He also had to reinvent himself on the field. The former quarterback transitioned toward receiver, adding another layer to an already unusual football journey.
That versatility eventually became part of Italy’s Olympic push. At the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, Italy faced Canada in the semifinal with far more than a place in the final at stake. The winner would earn the first automatic Olympic berth awarded in men’s flag football.
Gerbino played a starring role, scoring two touchdowns as Italy held off Canada 41-36. “That was pretty cool,” he said. “Whoever won that game got the first automatic bid to the Olympics for the first time in the history of the sport.”
The moment carried even more weight because flag football will make its Olympic debut at LA28. Italy had not simply won a semifinal. It had secured its place in a brand-new chapter of Olympic history.
The celebration that followed reflected what the achievement meant to the players. Italy’s Andrea Fantin recalled teammates crying, hugging one another and rushing toward supporters in the stands. “We didn’t say anything. I just cried and hugged people,” Fantin said. “The crowd was crazy.”
For Gerbino, however, the emotion reached beyond the field. “I think it’s pretty surreal for everybody,” he said. “To know that I’m going to do something like that from a place like Rochester, it’s just a cool experience and it’s a cool feeling.” The Olympic breakthrough was only the latest chapter in a career that had already taken several unexpected turns.
Jared Gerbino’s unusual path to the Olympics
Gerbino’s ability to adapt did not begin with flag football. At Dartmouth, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound athlete spent three seasons as the starting quarterback. But when his college career ended, he understood that his best chance of extending his football career might require him to stop being a quarterback.
“After the season, I was like all right. I think I need to make some changes and maybe portray myself as a versatile athlete where I can do a bunch of things,” Gerbino said in 2020.
That mindset led him toward a potential transition to tight end and receiver. Dartmouth coaches believed his quarterback experience could give him an unusual advantage.
As offensive coordinator Kevin Daft explained, Gerbino had spent years putting the ball in his own hands, even if his receiving statistics did not reflect it.
“He has a ton of snaps with the ball in his hands,” Daft said.
Gerbino understood that becoming a true receiver would take work. Running routes and reading coverage require repetition, but his quarterback background gave him something valuable: an understanding of what defenses were trying to do.
That football intelligence would eventually serve him well in flag football.
Now, the player who once looked toward the NFL has a different destination.
The United States automatically qualified for LA28 as the host nation, while Italy earned its place by defeating Canada.
And Gerbino will be right there when flag football makes its Olympic debut.
What began as an unexpected invitation in Italy has taken a former Rochester quarterback all the way to the biggest sporting stage in the world. For Gerbino, the dream may have changed – but the football journey is still going.