When you are raised in a football household, life is different.
Fall weekends are spent watching football.
Weekdays are filled with practices and Friday nights are for high school games.
Then you can’t forget about Saturdays which are all about visiting college football campuses.
This leaves New York Giants games for Sundays to finish out the week.
It’s fun times in the Pagano household.
Dominic Pagano has grown up talking about football every day since he was a little kid with his father/coach. His father played in college and still has a huge passion for the game. He goes with Dom on every road trip and to all the college camps during the summer. Dad has coached both his sons since Pop Warner and youth league football.
Dad is still coaching his boys.
Ray Pagano loves being able to share his passion for football with his two sons, Dominic and Vinny. The father and son duo can’t watch a game without breaking down the defense’s vulnerabilities and brainstorming which plays would expose the opponent. Dad Pagano believes that every defense can be beaten with the right game plan. Dom agrees and when he is playing, he just wants the opportunity to get the ball so he can break down the opponent’s defense.
Mrs. Pagano/Mom is all in too.
She is the positive encouraging force that believes in her family and truly loves the journey. She keeps the trains on time and makes sure her athletes are students first. Mom doesn’t miss a game and she knows games on a bigger stage are in the near future for her son.
Dominic Pagano will be a student first and an athlete second. He is intelligent, has a hunger for learning and prioritizes having good grades. He has a great opportunity to play college football and has the work ethic to manage handling the academic side of things.
Living in South Florida and training with Gold Feet Global, one of the top trainers in the country, Dom knows football. During Friday night games, it’s not uncommon to see Dom working with the offense on the sidelines and showing his teammates how to beat the defense. Dom has an understanding of the game to be a football coach one day, just like his father. Mr. Pagano knows it, and Dom feels it.
Dominic Pagano is a 6’1″, 175-pound wide receiver out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) and he’s still growing. Blue 57 has a profile on Pagano and 500 D1 prospects throughout Florida and Georgia. They built an entire company around merging psychology with football recruiting in Florida and Georgia. The company believes in knowing the athletes with the understanding that the why matters.
Kevin Hemmings, who is a Blue 57 South Florida Scout, describes Dom as a, “Sure-handed receiver with speed. Fun to watch because defenders have a hard time staying with him. A willing blocker who wins off the line against press coverage. Excels in the screen game as a receiver and blocker.”
Lucas Thorp, a Blue 57 Central Florida Scout, said “Pagano has great feet in and out of his breaks. He is very elusive with the ball in his hands. Immediately off the line, he can embarrass defensive backs in press coverage.”
Pagano describes himself as a hard-worker who thrives off of competition.
“I love learning about the game and coaching. I work harder than anyone. Out on the field, I look at myself as another coach, understanding the small details of the game.”
Dom trains year round with Gold Feet Global, but more specifically with Tevin Allen, who has trained with some of the best athletes in the world. Allen knows South Florida football, having played at Saint Thomas Aquinas, which was the No. 1 team in the nation during his senior year. Allen went on to play college football at Illinois State. The Gold Feet name is recognized worldwide for their innovative approaches with the purpose of helping their athletes excel past their competition.
On the field, Dom describes his own style of play as being “elusive, shifty and fast too. I’m a team player and I hustle every play, getting every block.” His level of commitment off the field has translated on the field and several division I programs are taking notice. Pagano took unofficial visits to UCF, Stetson and Jacksonville. He also receives letters and emails from various Ivy League colleges.
His work ethic had to be a priority because in middle and high school, he lacked height.
“I had been undersized my whole life and was much smaller than everyone else. However, once I got to high school, I caught up with everyone. I went from 5’2″ to 6’0″ from middle school to high school.”
Kaela Harmon is a Blue 57 sports psychologist who lives and covers Florida football recruits. She stated, “Pagano isn’t going to waste his breath telling you about how talented he is. He’s a quiet kid and therefore instead allows his talents on the field to speak on his behalf. Pagano is a competitor and welcomes a challenge, wanting to be lined up against the best because he is confident that he can beat the best.”
“Dom’s competitiveness is one of his biggest motivating factors. He’s constantly striving to be the best version of himself for his team. Pagano is a true student of the game, and will study his and others roles extensively so he can serve as a coach while on the field. The selflessness he exhibits is astounding. He’s all about team being #1 and Dom being #2.”
Jay Holgate, who scouts Florida & Georgia for Blue 57 spoke about Pagano. “His initial cool and calm demeanor causes opponents to underestimate his passion and focus, all until he scores off of a busted coverage and leaves his defenders in the dust. Rather than celebrate with a touchdown dance, Dom respectfully hands the ball back to the referees with a grin on his face. He’s always thinking team first and determined to be the best leader he can be for the program. He’s just an overall well-rounded young man. I know Dom will excel wherever he chooses to attend.”
The long term goal for Pagano is to play in the NFL, and with the work ethic that he has, I wouldn’t be surprised if ten years from now we see kids wearing Pagano jerseys all over the United States. With another year remaining to develop and grow, Dominic will be a force in his senior year within the state of Florida.
Jake Lowry is a The Subway Alum contributor and sports journalist for the Blue 57 Scouting Network covering college football recruiting & football psychology in Florida & Georgia. Blue 57 is an approved NCAA scouting service.
