Rickey Gibson III might just be the most important player on Tennessee’s defense. However, the cornerback with a penchant for holding the Vols hostage will likely never be a Tennessee football fan favorite. That’s a shame.
When I think of fan-favorite defensive backs, I think of Eric Berry, Jason Allen and Inky Johnson. Why? Because the aforementioned trio never used poor circumstances and worse timing to better their bank account. They also have something else in common. They were more about Tennessee than themselves.
Berry played every position in the secondary one could think of. His post-UT career also endeared himself to fans that respected how he dealt with a myriad of injuries that included a mind-blowing return from cancer while in the NFL. Think he’ll ever have to buy a beer in Knoxville again?
Also, Berry used his football-playing pedestal to build recreation parks for kids in the Atlanta-area and Kansas City, where he was a standout player for the Chiefs. Something tells me Gibson won’t be doing that.
Allen came back from a significant hip injury that he vowed would make him “bigger, faster, stronger” than before. That return allowed him to endear himself to fans and became a first-round draft pick after being a star player for the Vols.
As for Johnson, he took a brutal hit that caused him to lose the use of his right arm but never let it stop him from being one of the most positive forces in Tennessee football history. His career was cut prematurely short, but he made the most of it by becoming one of the most positive public speakers in Tennessee football – if not the nation.
There are more defensive backs that have won fan favor of course, but Gibson will never be one of them, even though he returned to practice after entering the transfer portal early this month. He’ll still likely help the Vols, but at what price? Gibson made sure to earn every penny he could. Why? Because he had leverage.
Gibson was well aware that the Vols would be without their No. 1 cornerback, Jermod McCoy, for much of the offseason and, likely, much of preseason camp. McCoy suffered a ACL injury during offseason work in January. Tennessee coaches say he’ll be back by the beginning of the season, but I have my doubts.
He also has another challenge. Other offensive coaches who think he’s not as good as McCoy will target him, so he’d better be ready. Georgia comes calling in September.
The same coaches that said McCoy will be back to start the season were the same coaches that said center Cooper Mays would be back for the Florida game in 2023. He wasn’t, and we all saw how that turned out. The Vols looked dysfunctional in Gainesville and lost to the Gators despite likely having the better team.
Gibson may well intercept a dozen passes this season, but he’ll never be a fan favorite. It’s time for the NCAA – or whoever might be in charge – to take a hard stand on the transfer portal windows. Gibson shouldn’t have been allowed to enter the transfer portal just before spring camp began last week. Was class ever taken into consideration? It’s kind of hard to transfer mid-semester and stay academically eligible, if that’s still a thing.
There are countless Vols that have benefitted from just being a Tennessee football player and not depending on NIL money. Former productive Tennessee players who stay out of trouble get a mountain of opportunities in the business world. Gibson won’t get that. I don’t know how much the corner-in-need got paid, but I hope it was worth it.
