AMES — On paper, redshirt senior offensive lineman Gabe “Gibby” Greenlee’s future was set as an Ames High School wrestler turned Division I commit to Iowa State University. But the reality was different, eventually leading him somewhere no one saw coming: Jack Trice Stadium.

Greenlee’s decision to change sports after facing burnout highlights the often-overlooked side of sports, where year-round training and expectations can push athletes to their physical and emotional limits. Greenlee’s shift from wrestling to football at Iowa State shows how stepping away can sometimes be the only way forward.

“Gibby’s [Greenlee] done a great job, he’s got a unique background, wrestling background, just started playing football when he got to Iowa State, he’s kind of been through the wringer a little bit,” offensive line coach Jake Thornton said.

Spending his high school years on the mat before graduating in 2022, he became a standout wrestler, finishing as a two-time finalist and an All-American.

Coming into high school in the 6-foot range and 195 pounds, Greenlee had the physical strength and stature of wrestling, alongside knowing how to use his length as an advantage.

However, according to his high school wrestling coach, Andy Fecht, who knew Greenlee way before his high school wrestling career, said that aside from his physical form, Greenlee was a standout wrestler because he was always a leader, whether leading by example or being vocal; he was always willing to help out the coaches and his teammates.

“I would honestly say that all four years he was in high school, he was the best wrestler on our high school wrestling team, even his freshman year,” Fecht said. “He was just a leader; he led by example and even being a vocal leader, he knew how to help coach up some of his teammates.”

Seeing his passion and experience on the mat, Iowa State reached out to Greenlee, knowing his name from his previous participation at its regional training center and also knowing his dad, Justin Greenlee, who was a three-time Division I All-American, a 2017 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee and spent time assisting the Iowa State wrestling program for years.

Following his high school graduation, Greenlee wrestled at Iowa State in 2022, then grayshirted after facing burnout and looking for a change.

Facing his burnout head-on, Greenlee decided to redirect his athletic passion. Following a dinner at the NFL Combine, Greenlee ran into a familiar Iowa State foe, Eyioma “Enyi” Uwazurike, a former Iowa State defensive end before he was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in 2022.

“One night at dinner after the combine, I ran into Enyi Uwazurike,” Greenlee said. “I just started asking him questions and he was like, ‘I think that if it’s something you really want to do, it could potentially work out,’ and I was like, all right, I’ll try.” 

Greenlee took a couple of other things into account before transitioning to football. He heard good things about former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, the football program and the culture. He also didn’t want to transfer, being an Ames native with his family and girlfriend all living in Ames.

So, Greenlee sent an email to Derek Hoodjer, former assistant athletics director for football player personnel, which consisted of his height and weight, which he lied about, and his GPA.

After receiving an email back about scheduling a meeting, Greenlee got the go-ahead to transition to football, which also meant he had to talk to his former coach, former Iowa State wrestling head coach and current Director of Wrestling, Kevin Dresser.

“I was super nervous about that,” Greenlee said. “I wasn’t sure how he [Dresser] was going to handle it, but he wanted me to be happy and he wanted what was best for me, so it went really well.”

Officially on the team, the transition from wrestling to football was a big change, especially because Greenlee only had experience from being on the gridiron for high school freshman football and seventh and eighth-grade football.

Although a couple of things he learned from wrestling helped his football development, such as being physical, showing up and working hard every day, being able to bounce back and keep performing even when things don’t go well. 

“He’s got great athletic ability,” Thornton said. “So kind of seeing him and kind of seeing his body type, his demeanor, really just thought he fit what we want from an offensive lineman here at Iowa State with what we do offensively now.”

But the biggest challenge Greenlee faced, he couldn’t pinpoint, as the whole transition was a challenge. He gained 90 pounds, learned the basic rules of football, learned how to watch film, switched back and forth between offense and defense five times, had two offensive coordinators and two head coaches.

“My first season of defense, I didn’t know which one the guard was and which one the tackle was,” Greenlee said. “So I mean, I’m still learning, I’m still getting better and it’s nice to finally have an understanding and be able to recognize stuff, but it took a long time.”

Although, through the transition between sports and the departure of Campbell, it didn’t feel like the best choice at the time for him, Greenlee is now in a spot where he is confident in his ability and can chase his childhood dream of being a Cyclone.

“I came to all the games on the weekend, sitting on the hill with all my friends and all of us wanted to play football here growing up,” Greenlee said. “It was a dream of mine when I was younger, wasn’t necessarily when I was in high school, but just being able to live it out now, being 22, it was something I wanted to do when I was like 10, 11 and 12.”