2019: Team captain … Started all 11 games at quarterback … Was a PFL All-Academic Team selection … Was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection … Was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll for a record sixth time … Was an honorable mention All-PFL selection … Ranked fifth in the PFL in passing yards per game (185.9) … Was eighth in the PFL in passing efficiency (120.2) … Was third in the league in total offense per game (229.3) … Tied for third in the PFL in touchdown passes (20) … Was second in the league in pass completions (198) … Was also second in the PFL in rushing yards by a quarterback (477) … Set a program record with 60 pass attempts at Marist (9/14), tying the program record for completions (35) in the same game … Was selected as the team offensive player of the week for his performance against Western New England (9/21) … Set the program record for completion percentage in a game (87.5) by completing 20-of-24 attempts against NC Wesleyan (9/28) … Was named PFL Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against Wesleyan … Had back-to-back 300-yard passing performances in those two games … Had a career-high 116 rushing yards, on just 15 carries, at Jacksonville (11/2) … Rushed for six touchdowns during the season … Finished his career with 493 rushing yards and 3,260 passing yards … Was responsible for 34 touchdowns in his career … Was nominated for the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society … Was selected as the Distinguished Senior Award recipient.
2018: Team captain … Came back after missing the entire 2017 season to serve as the backup at quarterback … Saw action in five games … Rushed for 20 yards on nine carries … Completed nine of 16 pass attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns with one interception … Made the tackle after allowing the pick against Waldorf … Had a season-high 95 passing yards in that game, including a 51-yard TD pass … Was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
2017: Received a medical redshirt ... Sat out to recover from injuries suffered during the 2016 season ... Served as a team captain despite not being able to play ... Received his undergraduate degree with a double major in Sport Business and Marketing ... Was selected to the PFL Academic Honor Roll for the fourth time.
2016: Became the Hatters' starting quarterback during preseason camp ... Completed 15 of his first 18 pass attempts, throwing for 189 yards in the first half against Sacred Heart (9/3) ... Finished that game 22-of-28 for 225 yards and a touchdown and was named the Hatters’ Offensive Player of the Week ... Followed up by throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-36 passes against Warner (9/10) with one interception ... Battled through a sore shoulder in the win over Davidson (10/1), completing 25-of-44 pass attempts for 260 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions to share Offensive Player of the Week honors ... In the win over Brown (10/8) he completed 20-of-29 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 85 yards on 10 carries, including a 69-yard TD scamper ... Was again named the Hatters’ offensive player of the week for that performance ... Despite throwing for 246 yards, he had his worst outing of the year against Valpo thanks to four interceptions ... Went down with shoulder and knee injuries late in the second quarter at Campbell and did not return ... Missed the remainder of the season due to the injuries in that game ... Finished the season throwing for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns with eight interceptions ... Was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll for a third straight year ... Carries a 3.8 overall GPA.
2015: Redshirted, did not see action ... Was named to the Pioneer Football League Academic Honor Roll.
2014: Saw action in three JV games ... Was named to the 2014 PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Prior to Stetson: Attended Jireh Prep in Charlotte, NC, for a year of post-graduate work.
High School: Was a two-year letter winner at quarterback for coach Jay Campos at Sabino HS after lettering for two years at Amphi HS ... Also lettered in track as both a sprinter and thrower for four years ... Lettered in basketball for two years ... Led his team to a 10-1 record in 2013, losing in the state semifinals ... Squad was 11-2 in 2012 before also losing in state semis ... Overall in his career he led his team to a combined 38-8 record and three state playoff appearances ... In basketball, his team went 29-3 in the 2009-10 season, finishing as state runner-up ... Honors included being named Class 4A Division 2 Player of the Year, earning Player of the Week honors for that Division 10 times, being named All-City and NUC All-American ... Was rated as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the west ... Competed in martial arts, twice earning world titles and winning eight national titles ... Best performance his senior season included 276 yards passing and 251 yards rushing with six touchdowns ... Posted a national top 10 in the shot in 2013 with a throw of 63.5 feet ... Chose Stetson over a host of schools, including Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Dayton, Butler, Northwestern and others ... Was a four-year honor roll student who graduated with a 4.2 GPA.
Personal: Full name is Gaven Kaleb DeFilippo ... Was born on February 23, 1995, in Tucson ... Is the son of Jean DeFilippo and Mark Nickel ... His cousin, John DeFilippo, is the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars ... He played QB at James Madison from 1996-2000 ... Another cousin, Gene DeFilippo, Jr., played at Springfield College from 1970-73 and recently retired as the Director of Athletics at Boston College after having served in the same role at Villanova ... His great uncle, Gene DeFilippo, Sr., played college football at Holy Cross in 1946-47 ... Another great uncle, Lou DeFilippo, played at Fordham University before a career in the NFL for the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts from 1941-48 ... His cousin Lou DeFilippo, Jr., played at Purdue from 1962-65 ... Received Bachelor's degree in Professional Sales and Sport Business in 2018 ... Completed work on his MBA in 2020.
