Who is Gabe Myles? Is he a receiver, a student, or maybe even a hometown hero? Is he all of the above? Well to start, Gabe Myles is classified as a redshirt freshman wide receiver for Mississippi State. However, when you look beyond that, you begin to see a story. The story of someone who grew up in Starkville and is getting the chance to live out his dream on the field.
     Myles graduated from Starkville High School and has played all over field in his football career. At Starkville High, Myles was the starting quarterback and played corner as well. He earned many accolades in high school, he was a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen and played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game. The biggest accolade of all could be a scholarship from Mississippi State, the school of his dreams.
     “To come and play at home, that was my dream from the get go,” Myles said, quite emotionally. “I grew up watching Mississippi State football, and it was the team I always wanted to be a part of.  It is a surreal feeling, I grew up watching it, and now being able to actually do it, you can’t put it into words.”
     Not many of us get to completely fulfill our childhood dreams. We grow up wanting to play in the NFL, or be America’s Next Top Model, but Myles lives his every day. His father Eddie Myles played for MSU as well. Myles has worn Maroon and White as a fan long before he ever got the chance to do so as a player. He worked every day for the dream of donning the M-State logo on the side of his helmet and he lives out that dream every Saturday on the field as a football player for Mississippi State.
 It was a long journey, recruited as a defensive back, Myles redshirted his freshman year before switching to wide receiver. Last season, when star receiver Jameon Lewis went down after the LSU game, Myles was asked to fill in for MSU’s leading receiver.
     Last season, while filling in for Lewis, Myles showed flashes of the versatile and explosive weapon he could become. Totaling close to 200 yards, he ran the ball, caught screens, and even got in an eleven yard pass.
Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receiver coach Billy Gonzales said, “He’s an extremely blessed player, talent-level wise. Last year he kind-of broke in, we threw him in as a redshirt freshman. But he got that playing time, he got that experience.”
 Though Myles did not get enough time throughout the year to make a huge impact, he played enough for everyone to see the bright future the young talent had.
     This season, Myles is not a replacement for someone else. He is stepping up and taking a role in the offense for his own. However, the stigma of never scoring a touchdown is something that stuck with him. The first touchdown is something every player dreams of when they first don the Maroon and White. Well, last Saturday that moment came.
     With a minute and 39 seconds into the game, Myles crossed the goal line for the first time.
     Gabe Myles said, “I just wanted to get that touchdown monkey off of my back. I had envisioned it so many times. I had pictured it so many times, when it finally happened it was just straight excitement.”
In a day that saw MSU’s offense break the single game record for yards, it was all started by that 49-yard touchdown reception by Myles. In doing so, Myles brought back memories of the explosive offense everyone remembers from last season. It did not take him long to score again, Myles would find the end zone on a six yard run with eight minutes and 39 seconds left in the second quarter.
“I think he has the career record for getting tackled at the one yard line,” head coach Dan Mullen joked after the game Saturday. “Everyone was so excited, because everyone jokes with him for not getting in the end zone, I was just like don’t trip, don’t trip.”
Myles is a player living his dream and is an inspiration for others. He will be back in action this Saturday as MSU takes on Auburn. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2 at 6:30.