Former Wilton High School football star Matt Gulbin‘s dreams of playing in the National Football League (NFL) are coming true — and his dreams aren’t stopping there.
Gulbin, a 2021 WHS graduate, was selected by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft which took place on Saturday, Apr. 25.
“I’m super excited that they believed in me and picked me,” Gulbin said.
“I think I bring a tenacity,” Gulbin said, when asked what he will bring to his new team. “I’m going to do my best to try and elevate the offensive line room and do whatever I can to get the Commanders winning — and winning Super Bowls.”
Gulbin played in 52 college career games over the course of five seasons, including 41 games at Wake Forest University before transferring to Michigan State University as a graduate senior where he played 11 games during the 2025 season. Reflecting on his versatility as a lineman, his 34 starts included center, left guard and right guard positions.
Eager for The Next Level
After the draft, Gulbin started looking ahead almost immediately, saying he’s eager to get to work.
“I’m focused on getting to work and doing whatever I can to be my best version of myself and do whatever I can to help the Commanders win,” Gulbin said.
That industrious attitude comes as no surprise to WHS Football Head Coach EJ DiNunzio, who coached Gulbin as a Wilton Warrior starting in 2018. DiNunzio said Gulbin’s work ethic and “business-like” approach to the game were evident from the start.
“It certainly took a whole lot of work on his part. The work he did is why he’s where he is,” DiNunzio said. “He’s a very dedicated young man. He was business-like back then in high school, and it just continued through college.”
“He sets a goal, and then he does whatever he needs to do to accomplish that goal. It’s just matter-of-fact with him,” he added. “He’s earned everything that he’s gotten, for sure.”
DiNunzio had a nickname for Gulbin back in high school: “Big Country” — a lighthearted reference to a physique not often seen in this neck of the woods. Gulbin measures 6 ft. 3-5/8 in. tall and 305 pounds.
“I always said he’s like, ‘country strong,'” DiNunzio said.
Gulbin’s size and power as a player, DiNunzio noted, is an interesting juxtaposition to his amiable, laid-back demeanor off the field.
“If you walked through the hallways of Wilton High School during the day, you’d [say], ‘Oh, what a nice young man — intelligent, very pleasant, respectful.’ But as soon as he hit that football field, he turned that switch on, and he became this very, very tough football player, which a lot of kids can’t do, but he could,” DiNunzio said.
DiNunzio recounted stories when Gulbin would flip that switch when practicing with his many good friends on the team. He recalled Gulbin would “put [a player] on his back, kind of pancake him, and then help him up, and the two of them would laugh.”
Gulbin’s leadership qualities were also evident. He was a team captain his senior year as a Warrior and later voted a co-captain by the MSU Spartans.
Academic performance was always a priority, too. Gulbin made the WHS academic honor roll all four years at WHS and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wake Forest in December 2024.
Wilton Pride
While some standout athletes leave public school programs in favor of private or prep schools, Gulbin chose to stay in Wilton — a decision DiNunzio believes says a lot about both the player and the program.
“Matt had the opportunity — he could have gone to one of those [private] schools, which we have kids leaving us to go to,” DiNunzio said. “But sure enough, he stayed at Wilton [and] he had a tremendous four years with us here.”
Gulbin seems to have no regrets about that decision.
“Playing for Wilton High School was a phenomenal experience,” he said.
His message to Wilton youth who aspire to play at the college level and beyond?
“If you work hard and you’re good enough, they’ll find you,” Gulbin stated.
DiNunzio says Gulbin’s rise to the NFL will be a source of pride in Wilton far beyond the high school program, including for the legions of Wilton Youth Football volunteers who coach players like Gulbin at the formative youth level.
“Not only is it great for my program at the high school level, but it’s great for the town [and] it’s great for the youth programs we have,”he said.
“I think it gives us a little bit of credibility,” he said. “We have some really talented young players coming out of Wilton.”
Proud Parents
JoAnn and Jeff Gulbin — who lived in Wilton for 25 years, until 2024 — could not be more proud of Matt.
“It’s not every day you hear about kids from Wilton doing this,” JoAnn said. “As a parent, it makes me that much more proud that he has overcome lots of challenges and obstacles, and still was able to make this dream a reality.”
Echoing DiNunzio, JoAnn said Matt’s decision to stay in Wilton throughout high school is a key part of his story and something she hopes Wilton families take to heart.
“For kids who who get to a certain level in Wilton, there’s always pressure from private schools [who say] ‘come play here, you’re going to have a better opportunity’,’” she said. “Matt always wanted to continue to play for Wilton. He was proud to be from Wilton, and he wanted to be at Wilton High School.”
“Wilton has been a special place for all of us, and we’re all proud of it,” she said.
When draft day finally came, JoAnn said the family chose to keep the circle small. They spent the day at home with family members and just a handful of Matt’s closest Wilton friends.
“You never know what’s going to happen on draft day,” JoAnn said. “You want to be surrounded by people to hopefully celebrate with, but it’s a long day getting to that point — a really stressful day. The only people here were family and four of Matt’s best friends from Wilton — guys he had played with since third grade.”
“It’s been a great journey to have been along for the ride with him,” JoAnn reflected. “To watch your kid for all these years prioritize this in his life — and work really hard and make a ton of sacrifices for it — it’s really special to see it paying off and allowing him to realize the dream that he’s had forever.”
The Washington Commanders shared the audio and video of the phone call when they gave Gulbin the big news. What a moment! A video of the broadcast announcement is also posted on their website. Congratulations from GOOD Morning Wilton!