New Albany State football coach Gabe Giardina aims to lead Rams to next step

ALBANY — In less than 90 days, the Albany State Rams football team makes its official debut under new head coach Gabe Giardina. As he embarks on the first part of his personal journey of creating what will someday be his legacy as a head coach, he also looks to add to the program’s rich history by capturing that elusive SIAC title.

Coming from a school that had to build its football program from the ground up, Giardina said he feels like he has a bit of a head start with the Golden Rams. He is inheriting a program that has seen a great deal of success over the years, one that already has a very strong and supportive fan base.

“The cool part is you go from Leesburg to Bainbridge for recruiting, to Cairo, to Colquitt County, football’s important to people in Southwest Georgia,” he said. “So it’s really exciting to just be another piece in that puzzle and part of the fabric of the culture down here.”

As successful as the program has been, he still wants to take ASU to the next level in his first year.

“The great part about coming here is we’ve been successful in the past, now it’s just about taking another step or two,” he said. “There’s plenty of passion here, there’s plenty of support and that’s phenomenal.”

In doing so he will pull from his past experiences at Charleston Southern and the University of Alabama.

“Nick [Saban] is the ultimate process-oriented guy. He measures success on a daily type of basis,” he said. “He’s measuring success in every area, from recruiting to academic support, to how we travel, to what our players are physically developing into in the weight room and just the mental toughness part of the program, too.

“And I think seeing that on a daily basis and also being with coach [Jamie] Chadwell — maybe not on the same scale, but Jaime is the ultimate rebuilder — to be able to go somewhere and instill culture and believe and values that transcend results on the field and see tangible results … is really, really neat.”

With always challenging Valdosta State and Tuskegee at the top end of the schedule, Giardina said the key will be his Rams focusing on themselves and their personal development.

With about two months under his belt, Giardina has had to the chance to assess his personnel. He said he likes what he sees from his roster so far, particularly Charles Stafford, Nick Scott and Zavondric Shingleton. Nothing, however, is set in stone in terms of the depth chart.

“Well, I think, number one, they’re good players, so they could fit into any scheme,” he said. “I think there are certain things we’re gonna do to try and highlight what they do. We’re gonna try to put Nick in as many situations to make tackles as he can. Same thing with Singleton.”

“The other thing, too, is even the players who maybe have not played as much, the slate is clean. So every job to me is open. I think that rejuvenates guys who maybe have been down the depth chart, to know that they’ve got a shot.”

The last few weeks have also given him the chance to meet with fans and alumni throughout the state of Georgia. Last month Giardina had the opportunity to join the Albany State Athletics Coaches’ Caravan and get a feel for not only the Rams faithful, but the other coaches on staff as well. He added that he hopes to continue to feed off the passion and drive shown by the other coaches during the event.

ASU Athletic Director Sherie Gordon said Giardina’s already proven to be a valuable asset to the department.

“Outside of the Coaches’ Caravan, Gabe has been very proactive in his first 30 days of reaching out to supporters,” she said, “from his quarterback’s club to former football athletes who are coaches, to getting out to high schools in Georgia in the first 30 days.”

While it’s still the opening chapter of what wil one day be the Giardina coaching novel, he said he hopes that when it’s all said and done, his passion and impact off the field will stand out.

“I want them to see someone who’s honest. Someone who operates with integrity,” he said. “Someone who’s gonna push them along and not let them stay the same. Someone who’s transformational, as far as, ‘Hey, this guy’s not just trying to make me a good football player, he’s trying to make me a good person and instill a pride in our program.’”