Volunteer Country

Film Analysis: Why Tennessee Got Back In The Isaiah Gibson Race

The Tennessee Volunteers recently jumped back into the race for 2025 five-star defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, Ga.). We went to the tape to find out why.

Evan Crowell

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The Tennessee Volunteers recently jumped back into the race for 2025 five-star defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, Ga.). We went to the tape to find out why.

Warner Robins High School edge rusher Isaiah Gibson commands the attention of several premier programs. The Georgia native committed to the USC Trojans at the end of March after an unofficial visit to Los Angeles, California, but his recruitment is very much open. Gibson intends to take this one into the fall, likely until early national signing day.

The No. 27 prospect in On3's Industry Rankings has official visits scheduled with Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee this summer; he recently removed an official visit with the Florida Gators to make room for the Vols on June 14. That slates as one of the most important recruiting weekends in head coach Josh Heupel's tenure, as many top national prospects will be in town.

Tennessee was always quiet in this battle but has surged in recent weeks. They are one of the top names around this one, but the in-state Georgia Bulldogs seem to be the No. 1 candidate to flip Gibson from his USC commitment. His junior season tape helps contextualize why many of the top programs in college football will chase him for the next six months.

Elite Wingspan

Gibson's wingspan was verified at 7'1" at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville, Tennessee. That measurement matches the tape, as he routinely bests offensive tackles with strong positioning by reaching their pads first. His length also enables him to quickly capture the corner, an important trait for someone with exceptional bend when capturing the edge. Gibson's arms are his calling card as a pass rusher, and he's got an extremely high floor in college simply because you can trust him to win matchups when lined up outside the tackle box on 3rd and long.

Leg Drive

One play that stuck in my head from his two-and-a-half-minute junior tape was a rep where the offensive tackle stayed low and initially won the rep, getting Gibson under his pads outside the quarterback's bubble. Many pass-rushers tend to give up in these scenarios, as they don't want to keep working past their first burst. Gibson pushed through, dragging through the tackle to complete a sack and give his team a big play. His sheer strength and determination on that rep matched every other rep on tape when he had to get low and drive through an offensive lineman to make a play.

Positional Flexibility

Gibson may one day make his money out on the edge as a specialist pass-rusher, but the allure to his ceiling is that he doesn't have to set the edge strictly. As a rising high school senior, he measures 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds. He made lots of plays for Warner Robbins lined up as a 4-tech or a 3i; he's got the strength and athleticism to embarrass interior offensive linemen, with the frame to get low and not be a liability in the run game.

Tennessee's 2025 Recruiting Class

  • George MacIntyre, QB
  • Justin Baker, RB
  • Radarious Jackson, WR
  • Joakim Dodson, WR
  • Jack VanDorselaer, TE
  • Antoni Kade Aguon Ogumoro, OL
  • Ethan Utley, DL
  • Dylan Lewis, CB
  • Tyler Redmond, CB
  • Sidney Walton, S

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Evan Crowell
EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, basketball, and recruiting. He previously worked as the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Gamecocks Digest.

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