Touted Corner Back Gibson Shutting Recruitment Down, Set to Join Vols Later This Month

Tennessee outlasted a strong push from Georgia coming out of the summer to secure the commitment of highly touted cornerback, Rickey Gibson. However, the Vols

Tennessee outlasted a strong push from Georgia coming out of the summer to secure the commitment of highly touted cornerback, Rickey Gibson. However, the Vols have never stopped recruiting Gibson, as he is one of the most underrated prospects in the country still that other teams are not going to give up on. Most recently, Defensive Coordinator, Tim Banks was in to see Gibson earlier this week once the contact period opened back up.

Now, with his high school career in the rearview, Gibson has his sights set on Tennessee. ,Despite multiple schools still trying to swing for his services down the stretch, he tells Volunteer Country that he has shut down his recruitment and will host no other teams for in-home visits before joining Tennessee for bowl practices later this month.

"It is because they got on me early and believed in me," Gibson told Volunteer Country prior to publicly revealing his decision to choose the Vols. "They didn't have me come to camp for them or do anything like that. They knew what their vision was for me, and they have just been on me since day one. I love their honesty with me."

Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez, along with Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks, was relentless in pursuit of Gibson and proved huge in the decision process for the coveted cornerback.

Man, he was huge for me," Gibson said of Martinez's impact on his decision. "He called me every day and let me know I was a priority for them. When I went down there, I would spend the whole day with him, and it was great. He is a great, fun guy to be around, and I am excited to play for him. I know he is a great developer of talent and can get me where I want to be."

Head Coach Josh Heupel was also pivotal in Gibson's decision, as he let the talented cornerback know he was a priority target for the Vols.

"That was very huge," Gibson said of Heupel's impact on his commitment. "Most head coaches don't talk a lot, but he talked and showed his character and personality. Knowing that I am going down and that it won't change is a great feeling."

Gibson turned in a stellar season at Hewitt-Trussville and will now join the Vols later this month to get an early start on his career on Rocky Top.