Ansley, Martin wrestling over postion for UGA transfer Deangelo Gibbs
After a turbulent two years at Georgia, Deangelo Gibbs is taking full advantage of his fresh start at Tennessee.
Still, the former blue-chip recruit still doesn’t have a long-term home just yet, at least not positionally.
Gibbs spent the first nine days of spring practice on offense, showcasing the same ability that made him a star recruit at Grayson. But the 6-foot-2, 205-pound athlete was mostly recruited — by UGA, Tennessee and Jeremy Pruitt and new defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley at Alabama — to play defense, either safety or nickel. He flipped sides of the ball last week and will work with Pruitt and Ansley the rest of the spring.
Then the tug-of-war is on. Gibbs’ ultimate position at Tennessee will be debated all summer, with new wideouts coach Tee Martin saying Tuesday he’ll actively “campaign.”
“I thought the young man displayed speed. He has good hands, has big, strong hands. He has athletic ability and he can stretch the field, made some big catches at times,” Martin said.
“He was physical blocking. There’s a good skill set there for an offensive player.
“But at the end of the day, we have to do what’s best for our overall football team. If there’s help that’s needed in the secondary, they pulled him over to the secondary and he went and made an interception in the scrimmage with one hand.
Who knows? But I’m always going to fight for the receiving room and try to get the best players in there. And if he stays on defense, we’ll go out in recruiting and try to fill the room, fill that void in recruiting.”
In two trying seasons with the Bulldogs, Gibbs played defense, albeit sparingly. His undisclosed off the field issues kept him away from the team so much, he saw action in just 13 games. He recorded 10 total tackles. But Gibbs’ natural talent remains as evident as when he first enrolled early at Georgia. He’s a long, athletic prospect, who could seriously help Tennessee on either side of the ball — especially if the NCAA grants his waiver request to be eligible immediately in 2019.
Ansley, who was one of Gibbs’ main recruiters for Alabama a couple years ago, is thrilled to have the transfer working with the secondary the rest of spring, saying, “I love it. Love. I’ve known him since his 9th grade year. He’s a very unique talent, and it’s hats off to him that he can go out there and in the first 10 practices learn our offense, which is very complex from coach (Jim) Chaney and then come over here for the last five and flip over and play a complex defense.”
During the initial switch last week, Pruitt noted that Gibbs should be aided in his transition by playing in a similar defense at Georgia. The schemes and verbiage are quite similar and so are the responsibilities of the STAR/nickel spot. Gibbs has slide into his old position with Tennessee, and immediately made an impact in his first scrimmage with an interception. With Baylen Buchanan limited this spring and the rest of the STAR options relatively known quantities (Shawn Shamburger, Theo Jackson, Nigel Warrior), Gibbs is giving Tennessee a new-look there with a bigger body.
“It’s been very, very (much) a breath of fresh air, so to speak, for the defense and the guys, especially in the secondary, that he can kind of get in there and fill in right now and not miss a bump as far as a learning curve,” Ansley said.
“He’s ultra-competitive, got great ball skills. He’s got a unique skill-set because he’s a bigger man, so we’re very thrilled to have him over there, and I’m sure coach Pruitt will figure out where he’s going to kind of land in the fall, throughout the summer, and we’re going to make the best decision for the team and for him.”
Let the debates begin.