There’s a reason Tennessee’s coaches don’t seem too worried about their rebuilt secondary. Cornerback Rickey Gibson is a big part of that.
It’s clear that the Vols believe they can be better in the defensive backfield than they were a year ago despite losing seven contributors from last year’s team. The Vols are choosing talent over experience. A great defensive front should help, but there’s no question that the Vols are taking the riskier path in hopes of mountains of rewards.
Tennessee surely had to make some hard decisions for those that were good, but not great. Those that warranted NIL funds and those that didn’t.
While Tennessee’s secondary starters are still in flux this early in camp, there’s one thing that’s clear. Gibson is going to be a starter at cornerback. The offseason chatter about his development has been too consistent, he was made available to talk to the media and he has a new number, No. 1, as awarded by Tennessee’s coaching staff for a hard-working offseason. It’s quite possible that none of that would have happened had it not been for that tilt against the Hawkeyes in Orlando.
“The Iowa game,” Gibson said when asked when it all clicked. “That’s when I finally felt like, ‘It’s about that time.’”
Gibson said Iowa didn’t test him often. That was just fine. He took that a a sign of respect.
“It gave me the confidence that I can really do this,” Gibson said. “
That confidence wasn’t always there. It grew throughout the season. It finally took hold as the season rolled on.
“Up and down, it was very up and down,” Gibson said. “But towards the end of the year, I kind of found my confidence, and I’ll say to the coach one more time. ‘Just where were you at going into your second year now?’
“Going into my second year, I would just say, yeah, my confidence just keeps going. Keep getting in the playbook as much as I can, keep watching films as much as I can, trying to just find the little stuff so I can just excel on game day.”
The Vols haven’t named any starters for Tennessee’s opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31. Nevertheless, Gibson sure sounds like one. Pencil him in.
