Tennessee’s newest commitment decided to end his recruitment early and commit to be a Vol on Sunday. Rickey Gibson made that announcement via social media. An early commitment is nothing new. However, the public pledge doesn’t mean other schools will stop calling.
It’s practically a guarantee that Gibson will improve his recruiting standing barring some unforeseen future circumstance. He has the ability to keep recruiters from other schools very interested.
“He’s got pretty good length,” former NFL assistant coach and college football scout Chris Landry of Landry Football said. “He’s got pretty good athleticism. He’s a little undersized. He could get bigger and get stronger, which he needs to.”
Landry said the 6-foot-1, 171-pound prospect has good innate abilities, such as his athletic burst and reaction time. Still, Gibson needs to polish up some of his game before he’s ready to step into a college program and make an immediate impact.
Arkansas and Georgia both expressed strong interest in the cornerback from Trussville (Ala.) High School just before Gibson announced his commitment. The Bulldogs and, possibly, Alabama will be teams to be mindful of considering Gibson can’t sign with the Vols until December.
“Tennessee at this stage as they’re building a program is not going to go head-to-head with the Alabamas and the Georgias and get all the five stars,” Landry said. “They’re going to lose that battle (most of the time). They’ll get a few and they’ve gotten some.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a prime example. He committed to Tennessee as a five-star prospect and has led others to do the same. If the Vols can land a couple more of those coming months, things will get much more competitive in recruiting against the SEC juggernauts like Alabama and Georgia.
