Dominic Tarantino’s academic journey spanned across four states, and his next stop will be The Citadel.
Tarantino is a 2022 Gilmer High graduate, and he fielded football offers from LaGrange College, Centre College (Ky.), The Citadel and Wesleyan University (Conn.). The latter was his original choice prior to his move to Georgia, but that changed as his senior year at GHS unfolded.
“I really liked Wesleyan, which drove me to commit to them, but I had the opportunity to get more offers,” Tarantino said. “I visited Kennesaw State and really liked it there, but then The Citadel came and contacted me. And I thought, ‘This is perfect; they have exactly what I want.’ I came from a military family, so I’m used to military school and military discipline.”
Tarantino noted his mom Elodie’s side of the family is steeped in military tradition. He has relatives who attended the Naval Academy, which is where his grandfather was an officer. Tarantino is not intimidated by what lies ahead, but acknowledged there will be some challenges.
“I grew up in that military atmosphere. It’s like second nature to me, so going to a military school is not that big of a deal,” he said before adding, “My head coach Paul Standard went to The Citadel and so did (P.G.) Standard. They were telling me freshman year is terrible, but you just have to stick with it and get through it.”
When Tarantino was in South Carolina in January to visit The Citadel’s Charleston campus, he knew “This was the place” for him. He received a tour and got to meet some of the coaches and see the facilities.
“Before my visit, I had only been in contact with two of the coaches,” he said. “When I got there, I met everyone else and it was the best. It just felt good.”
The Citadel is one of six senior military colleges in the U.S. The Bulldogs compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I as members of the Southern Conference.
Road to Georgia and football
Tarantino arrived in Ellijay from Connecticut last summer ahead of the football season. He was born in Texas and moved to Florida when he was 15.
He discussed the differences with regard to football, noting, “Playing football is way different down here. Southern football is a different breed. Up there, I’ll say it’s a little softer and not as intense. Down here, it’s almost like people live for football. Up there, it’s like just it’s an option. I love it down here because there are people like me who just put their head down and grind for it.”
Tarantino’s college football path took some turns before he arrived at his destination. He tried his hand at football multiple times growing up and played a season in elementary school. He was back on the field for his eighth-grade year, which was cut short by a concussion. He returned to the sport for a title season as a sophomore, and the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out 2020.
“Once I started to play as a sophomore and we were doing good and won the state championship, I really started to feel like I could go somewhere with it,” he said.
“I started grinding and hitting the weights hard and worked hard on the field. I knew it was a real possibility for me to play because I knew I could get into college by my grades alone. I wanted to have that aspect of playing a sport in college.”
Last football season was also Standard’s first at GHS. The Bobcats finished with a 3-7 record, and two of those losses came down to the very end of games.
“I love coach Standard. He definitely knows a lot about football,” Tarantino said. “He’s hard-nosed and a really, really good coach. There are going to be days you don’t like him, but you have to know he’s just trying to help you out and it will pay off.”
Tarantino made an immediate impact on both sides of the ball for Gilmer and was voted to the all-region first team as a defensive back. He finished the season with 80 total tackles, which included five for a loss. He also intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and had one quarterback sack in nine games.
“Gilmer has taught me a bunch, and I definitely learned a lot more people skills down here,” he said. “Everyone is a lot nicer down here compared to up north. I learned a lot more about football and life living in a small town like this, and I’m really thankful for my father (Steve) for bringing me down here to experience this stuff.”
Early projections have The Citadel taking advantage of Tarantino’s pass catching and blocking abilities at either receiver or tight end. However, that could change in the coming years.
“I want to gain a little more weight and be in the 220s and play tight end or maybe on the defensive side,” he said. “I really liked playing defense last year, but I’m excited to be on the offensive side of the ball. I feel like I can make some plays.”
Tarantino credits his parents and past and present coaches for pushing him over the years and demanding his best. He is ready to get into the field and ply his craft after graduation.
“I’m looking forward to getting some money. I’m ready to work, and I’m going to The Citadel for electrical and computer engineering,” he said. “I’m really into math and physics and like working hands on. I want to go to grad school somewhere afterward and do aerospace engineering. So after that, I really want to work for Boeing. That would just be awesome.”