Nick Gargiulo Bio
Nicholas J. Gargiulo (born July 19, 2000) is an American professional football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and listed at 310 lb (141 kg), he plays the interior offensive line and wears jersey number 66. Gargiulo played college football for the Yale Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks before being selected by Denver in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Born in Yorktown Heights, New York, Gargiulo developed into a starter at Somers High School before taking a non-traditional college path that included stops at an Ivy League program and a Southeastern Conference program. His professional career began in 2024, and he remains on the Broncos’ roster into the 2025 season.
Early Life and Background
Nicholas J. Gargiulo was born on July 19, 2000, in Yorktown Heights, New York. He first played football in the third grade and grew up in northern Westchester County, where he became a standout at Somers High School in Lincolndale, New York. At Somers, he was a two-way lineman who also played basketball, balancing two sports while developing his frame for the offensive and defensive lines.
As a sophomore, Gargiulo won a starting job and helped Somers capture a state championship the following year, earning All-League and All-Section recognition in the process. He was later named All-State as a senior and was chosen as the league’s most valuable player. He was also named to the state’s Super 11 and Golden Dozen teams, prestigious recognitions given to top high school players in New York.
Despite those honors, Gargiulo was rated as a zero-star college recruit, meaning he had no major recruiting rankings from national scouting services. He ultimately committed to play for the Yale Bulldogs of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), beginning his college career in the Ivy League.
Path to American Football
Gargiulo’s route to professional football was unconventional. As a zero-star recruit, he entered Yale without the national profile of higher-rated prospects and had to earn his place on the field. He redshirted his freshman year in 2018 and saw action in just one game, using the year to adjust to the college level and add strength to his 6 ft 5 in frame.
He won the starting job at left tackle for the 2019 season and started all 10 games for the Bulldogs, an early sign of his durability and development. The 2020 Ivy League season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, costing him a full year of development. He returned in 2021 but broke his fibula and right ankle early in the year, missing the remainder of the season and testing his resolve.
Gargiulo bounced back in 2022, was selected as a team captain at Yale, and won first-team All-Ivy League honors while also being selected All-New England by the New England Football Writers Association. Rather than enter the NFL draft, he transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference for a final college season in 2023, where he started all 12 games and earned third-team All-SEC recognition. That step up in competition helped position him for the 2024 NFL draft.
Nick Gargiulo Career
Early Career (2018–2022)
Gargiulo’s early career was spent entirely at Yale, where he worked his way from a redshirt freshman into one of the Ivy League’s most reliable linemen. He won the starting left tackle job in 2019 and started all 10 games that season, a foundation year that established him as a long-term starter for the Bulldogs.
After the canceled 2020 season and an injury-shortened 2021 campaign, he returned as a team captain in 2022. That year he was selected first-team All-Ivy League and All-New England, awards that confirmed his status as one of the top offensive linemen in the conference and set the stage for a graduate transfer to a Power Five program.
South Carolina Breakthrough (2023)
In his lone season with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2023, Gargiulo made an immediate impact in the Southeastern Conference. He started all 12 games, opening the year at left guard before shifting to center for the final stretch of the schedule. The position flexibility he showed at South Carolina became a defining trait of his draft evaluation.
He was named a team captain and earned third-team All-SEC honors at season’s end, recognition that placed him among the conference’s better interior linemen. Across his entire college career, Gargiulo started 36 games, totaling 17 at center, 14 at left tackle and five at left guard, a versatile résumé that helped him earn an invitation to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and a spot in the 2024 Hula Bowl all-star game.
Denver Broncos Era (2024–Present)
Gargiulo was selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft with the 256th overall pick, the second-to-last selection of the draft. He became the first athlete from Somers High School ever to be drafted by an NFL team, a milestone for his hometown program.
On August 27, 2024, Gargiulo was waived by Denver during final roster cuts, but he was re-signed to the team’s practice squad the following day. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 13, 2025, securing his place on the Broncos’ offseason roster. His development as a depth interior lineman positioned him to compete for a roster role entering the 2025 season.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the signature milestones of Gargiulo’s career came on draft night in 2024, when he became the first player from Somers High School to be selected in the NFL draft. Earlier, his 2022 team captaincy and first-team All-Ivy League selection at Yale marked him as a leader, while his 2023 third-team All-SEC nod validated his transition to a Power Five conference. Across his college career, his 36 starts at three different positions remain a hallmark of his positional flexibility.
Nick Gargiulo Career Wins
Nicholas J. Gargiulo’s career highlights are defined less by individual win totals and more by team championships, all-conference honors and milestones at multiple levels of football. As a high school junior he helped Somers win a state championship, and he later earned first-team All-Ivy League and All-New England honors at Yale, followed by third-team All-SEC recognition at South Carolina. He also became the first Somers High School alum drafted by an NFL team, a notable personal milestone in his young professional career.
College Highlights
At Yale, Gargiulo’s headline achievement came in 2022, when he was selected first-team All-Ivy League and All-New England, capping a career that included 24 starts for the Bulldogs across multiple seasons. At South Carolina, he started all 12 games in 2023, opening five at left guard before shifting to center, and earned third-team All-SEC honors for his play. He was also invited to both the 2024 Hula Bowl and the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, two of the premier pre-draft showcases.
Other Performances
Beyond his all-conference awards, Gargiulo was a two-time team captain, at Yale in 2022 and at South Carolina in 2023, reflecting consistent leadership recognition from his coaches and teammates. His selection as the 256th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft gave him one of the longest waits of any draftee that year, a story of patience that has defined his path from a zero-star high school recruit to an NFL roster.
Nick Gargiulo Family
Personal Life
Public information about Nicholas J. Gargiulo’s personal life is limited. He grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York, and attended Somers High School, where he was a multi-sport athlete in football and basketball. He has not publicly disclosed details about a spouse, children or parents, and he maintains a presence on social media under the handle @gargiulo_66, matching his Broncos jersey number.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a difficult one for Nicholas J. Gargiulo. He entered training camp with the Denver Broncos after signing a reserve/future contract in January 2025, working to secure a roster role along the interior offensive line. His progress was halted when he suffered a major knee injury, including a torn ACL, during Week 2 of the 2025 preseason.
On August 17, 2025, the Broncos placed Gargiulo on season-ending injured reserve, ruling him out for the year. The injury cuts short what had been a promising offseason for a versatile lineman capable of playing guard and center, and shifts his timeline back as he begins a recovery process that typically requires a full calendar year.
Looking ahead, Gargiulo remains under contract with the Denver Broncos organization, and his prior reps at guard and center give him a path back onto the depth chart once healthy. His ability to play multiple interior positions, developed across 36 college starts at three different spots, should remain a long-term asset as he works toward a 2026 return.