Career: Started 42 career games and played in 48 games overall ... Closed career with 160 tackles and 23 TFL's ... Ranked ninth on school's career sacks list (10) ... Manned one of NU's starting defensive tackle positions ... Possessed excellent speed and quickness for a player his size ... Coaching staff saw potential in him similar to former NU Wildcats' Luis Castillo and Barry Cofield.
2008: Named to preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy (nation's outstanding interior lineman) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's outstanding defensive player) ... Received preseason All-Big Ten recognition from Phil Steele's (second team) magazine ... Named honorable mention All-Big Ten ... Recipient of a Randy Walker Wildcat Warrior Award (presented to a player who demonstrates the work ethic, toughness and attitude of a warrior) ... Ranked 18th in Big Ten in TFL's (0.79 pg) his senior season ... In 2008 Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri, collected four tackles and one TFL ... Five stops vs. Illinois, including 0.5 TFL's and the second forced fumble of his career ... At Michigan, tied for team lead in tackles with a season-high seven (five solo) and 1.0 TFL ... Notched five tackles against Ohio State ... At Minnesota, tallied five tackles, including one TFL ... Six tackles at Indiana, including a career-best 3.0 TFL's and 2.0 sacks for 19 yards, earning team's defensive big playmaker honors against the Hoosiers ... Against Purdue, recorded two stops ... Four tackles vs. Michigan State ... Named team's defensive big playmaker of the game vs. Iowa ... Totaled two tackles, which included a TFL, a fumble recovery (third of his career) and a win-clinching pass deflection on Iowa's final offensive play of the game ... The pass breakup came on a fourth-and-goal with the Hawkeyes down five points ... Against Ohio, recorded the first blocked field goal of his career and a fumble recovery of his career ... Had one sack for a 7-yard loss and a tackle against Southern Illinois ... At Duke, had one sack for a 7-yard loss ... Served a one-game team suspension vs. Syracuse.
2007: Named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by league coaches and media ... Also tabbed a second-team All-Big Ten pick by Rivals.com ... Had, perhaps, the best game of his career vs. Michigan: personal-high 10 tackles (five solos), which included a sack, and a QB hurry ... Seven of his 10 tackles came on stops vs. U-M's Heisman Trophy candidate, Mike Hart ... Helped hold Hart to one of his lowest season outputs: 106 yards and just 3.5 ypc ... Named team's defensive player of the game for that performance ... Notched three tackles and a 0.5 TFL against Northeastern ... One tackle vs. Nevada ... Tallied six tackles, including a 0.5 TFL, and a fumble recovery vs. Duke ... Named team's defensive player of the game against the Blue Devils ... Came back with six tackles against Ohio State ... Two of his six tackles vs. the Buckeyes were TFL's, including a pass sack ... One tackle vs. MSU ... Four tackles, including a 0.5 TFL and a QB hurry, vs. Minnesota ... Three tackles vs. EMU ... Five tackles, including a TFL, and a pass breakup at Purdue ... Four tackles including a pair of sacks and a pass breakup vs. Iowa ... Named team's defensive player of the week against Iowa ... Four tackles and a pass breakup vs. Indiana ... Three tackles, a TFL and two QB hurries at Illinois ... Led all NU defensive linemen with 50 tackles and 8.5 TFL's.
2006: Started 11 games at defensive tackle ... True sophomore ... Totaled four tackles, including three solo hits in season-opening win at Miami (Ohio) ... Four tackles, including his first career sack, and a hurry vs. New Hampshire ... Six solo tackles, which included a pass sack, at Nevada ... Recorded two tackles, as well as a forced fumble, at Penn State ... The fumble, which was recovered by NU's Brendan Smith, was the Wildcats' first fumble recovery this season ... Had five tackles at Wisconsin ... One tackle vs. Purdue ... Two tackles vs. Michigan State ... Had one of his season's best games on his 20th birthday (at Michigan): season-high seven tackles (five solos), which included a TFL and a fumble recovery ... Four tackles, including a TFL, and a pass deflection at Iowa ... Five tackles and a quarterback hurry vs. Ohio State.
2005: True freshman who earned a significant number of snaps ... Started seven games ... Made his first collegiate start in season-opening game vs. Ohio ... Registered his first career tackles (two solos and an assist) at Arizona State ... Started against Wisconsin and posted three tackles ... Notched two tackles as a starter vs. Purdue ... Tallied four tackles (three solos) at Michigan State ... Three tackles against Iowa ... Equaled his Big Ten-best season effort with four tackles, including a 2-yard TFL, at Ohio State ... Credited with six tackles (four solos) vs. UCLA in the Vitalis Sun Bowl.
High School: 2004 West Catholic Athletic League Offensive Lineman of the Year ... Ranked in SuperPrep's top 100 for California ... First-team All-CCS (San Jose Mercury News) and first-team All-Metro (San Francisco Chronicle) .. First-team All-Northern California selection ... Tabbed the Bay Area's Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance against St. Francis ... Played both offensive and defensive line, in addition to long-snapping ... The Bells went 5-4 in 2003 (lost in semifinals of playoffs) and 4-6 in 2004 ... Also competed in track and field (shot put and discus) ... Coached by Mike Janda.
Personal: Born John Singh Gill ... Son of Ajit and Ann Gill ... Communication studies major.
The John Gill File
Q:If you could dine with anyone from any period in history, who would it be?
A: Ghandi
Q: If you could have a starring role in any film already made, which movie would you pick?
A: The Godfather
Q: What is the greatest lesson in life that you have learned?
A: Always do your best in every aspect of life
Q: Something people would be surprised to know about me is...
A: I am half Indian
Q: My favorite opposing stadium to play in is...
A: So far it's Ohio State
Q: My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would be...
A: Returning an interception 100 yards for a touchdown
Q: The person that inspires me the most is...
A: My parents
Q: My favorite food is...
A: Italian food
Q: Which current NU football player is the biggest jokester?
A: Chris Malleo
Q: My favorite pre-game ritual is...
A: Eating
Q: If you were to have your friends attribute one quality to you, what would it be?
A: Loyal
Gill's Career Stats
TACKLES G UA A Total TFL-Yds PD FF FR Blkd2005................ 12 14 12 26 1.0-2 0 0 0 02006................ 12 26 14 40 4.0-7 1 1 1 02007................ 12 20 30 50 8.5-35 3 0 1 02008................ 12 27 17 44 9.5-44 1 1 2 1TOTAL............... 48 87 73 160 23.0-88 5 2 4 1
SACKS G UA A Total Yds2005................ 12 0 0 0.0 02006................ 12 2 0 2.0 22007................ 12 4 0 4.0 252008................ 12 4 0 4.0 33TOTAL............... 48 10 0 10.0 60