College Signing Day

Teammates, friends, family, and coaches awoke early on February 7 to celebrate five Jesuit seniors in two sports who signed with the college of their choice on the third Signing Day ceremony of the 2023-24 school year, inside Shembekar Auditorium in the Antinori Center for the Arts.

School president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. and athletic director Terry Rupp '84 spoke about taking all they have learned at Jesuit with them to college, and then Rupp gave the indication to sign the paperwork and make it official.

The Feb. 7 signees:
Cyrus Aboud – Football – Southern Methodist University
Gary Givens – Football – Valparaiso University
Liam Maloney – Swimming – Babson College
Willy Suarez – Football – Florida State University
Gabe Themar – Football – Hillsdale College

Aboud played linebacker for Jesuit, earning more than 240 total tackles in his Varsity career. He was a part of the defense that helped win the State Championship in 2021 and was one of Jesuit’s top tackles the past two seasons.

Givens played both as a wide receiver and defensive back for Jesuit this past season. Nicknamed “Mr. First Down,” he accumulated 31 receptions for 447 yards on offense and frequently played in nickel and dime packages on defense.

Maloney helped the powerhouse Tigers swimming program to its 27th consecutive District title, 15th straight Region title, and 10th straight year in the Top 4 at State. He finished 1st in the 200 IM and 2nd in the 100 Butterfly in the Region Meet.

Suarez capped off a stellar 2023 with new school records in receiving yards in a season (1,232 yards) and kickoff return average (42.5 avg), along with 20 total touchdowns. His 13 receiving touchdowns in a season tied the school record. Suarez went on to earn the Guy Toph Award as Hillsborough County's Most Outstanding Football Player.

Themar was a multi-positional player for the Tigers in the fall, lining up at linebacker and along the defensive line, and also playing fullback. He made 25 tackles and a forced fumble to help Jesuit to a 10-win season.

The four football signees join three others from Jesuit football, Bryson Goodwin (Temple), Peter Pesansky (North Carolina), and Drew Woodaz (Clemson), who signed to play in college in December.

This is the third of an anticipated four signing ceremonies at Jesuit this school year, with the next signing day taking place in April 10. Each year, 20-30 Jesuit student-athletes sign Letters of Intent to participate in college athletics.