Carmel’s Tommy Lamberti knows how to use his size to his advantage as an offensive lineman.
But the 6-8, 305-pound senior left tackle will rely on more than his brawn in his fourth season as a varsity starter.
“I was blessed enough to get the opportunity to start as a freshman,” Lamberti said. “Being able to put my weight on someone definitely helps, and I like to use my reach to my advantage. But my maturity has grown a lot, and I’m now much better at making in-game adjustments.”
Those qualities make Lamberti an elite player, according to Carmel coach Jason McKie.
“The biggest area of growth he’s made has been understanding the game mentally, the structure of the defensive fronts and all of the looks you can see during the course of a game,” McKie said. “He’s obviously gotten bigger and stronger, but combining that with how well he understands the game is why he’s one of the best linemen in the state.”
Lamberti has offers from 15 Division I programs, and his academic record, including a 4.14 GPA, has attracted the likes of Dartmouth, Penn and Yale.
“The attention is definitely nice, but for me it’s about building relationships,” he said. “The coaches and teammates wherever you select are going to be your family for the next four years.”
Lamberti’s four years at Carmel have seen a steady progression not only for him but also for the team. The Corsairs went 3-6 in 2021, 7-4 in 2022 and 10-2 last season, when they reached the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2010.
Lamberti has been front and center as McKie, a former Chicago Bears player who was hired by Carmel in December 2019, has overhauled the program.
“Off the field, he’s become the voice of the team,” McKie said. “When he speaks, people listen. Everything he does is for the betterment of the team.”
The Corsairs, who open the season with a game at Grayslake Central on Aug. 30, don’t formally elect captains. But there is a leadership council, and Lamberti is a member.
“We call it servant leadership, and we pride ourselves on being leaders and not followers,” Lamberti said. “One example of that was our 6:00 am (offseason) workouts and just making sure everyone is there. We had 40 or 50 people. That’s way better than when I started, which is great.”
Lamberti’s teammates recognize his many contributions to the team.
“He’s obviously a great player on the field, but he’s a great person in the locker room,” Carmel senior linebacker Dominic Delorme said. “You’ll see him in the hallways showing freshmen where their classes are or showing them where to find pads for uniforms. He’s the perfect person to lead our team.”
Lamberti is also interested in making himself the best player he can be. He said he lost about 25 pounds during the offseason, largely through dietary changes.
“I cut out a lot of greasy foods and unnatural sugar,” he said. “There are less drive-thru visits and grabbing less lunchroom cookies, and I hiked up the protein. I can have eight or nine eggs for breakfast. It’s crazy.”
Lamberti, whose younger sister Lucy is a 6-0 sophomore center for the Carmel girls basketball team, also does landscaping. He started Lamberti’s Landscaping Company when he was in fifth grade. He began the endeavor the old-fashioned way by posting flyers, but more recently he has attracted customers through word of mouth and social media.
“It’s funny. I get more views for the lawns than when I got an offer from Yale,” Lamberti said. “It’s hard work, but it’s been a good source of money for all of these years.”
As Lamberti continues to work hard on the field, he’s eager to make an impact at the line of scrimmage this season. That will mean protecting highly touted sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor’s blind side and opening holes for Donovan Dey, who rushed for 1,411 yards and 22 touchdowns last year.
“Pass pro is not passive,” Lamberti said. “You have to get dirty to be good at it. But I do love those long drives where you’re getting 3 or 4 yards a pop. You definitely take pride in those as a lineman.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
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