Tennessee football cornerback Rickey Gibson plans to enter transfer portal | Report
Tennessee starting cornerback Rickey Gibson will enter the transfer portal, according to a report Tuesday from On3.com.
The news comes about a week before the Vols kick off spring practice on March 7.
Last season, Gibson started 12 games as a sophomore. He had 32 tackles, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups and one forced fumble.
The transfer portal opens April 16, so there’s time for Gibson to change his mind. But if he leaves, it would put the UT secondary in a bind.
All-America cornerback Jermod McCoy is already sidelined by a torn ACL he suffered in January. The Vols already may have been in the market for a cornerback in the portal. If Gibson transfers, they could be looking for multiple cornerbacks.
Tennessee CB Rickey Gibson will reportedly enter the transfer portal
Earlier this offseason, rough news came in when it was revealed that Jermod McCoy suffered a torn ACL while he was training back home in Texas. McCoy is obviously going to miss spring practices and his status for the start of the campaign is very much up in the air.
With McCoy banged up, Gibson was all set to step in as the leader of the cornerbacks room. Last season, the 6-0, 185-pounder started in 12 games, posting 32 total tackles, five pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Replacing McCoy if he misses some games early in the year is one thing, but now what will Heupel and Banks do with Gibson being out the door? Gibson is yet to officially enter the portal, so there’s a chance he could have a change of heart, but fans don’t have much hope he’ll return.
Tennessee is losing a lot of talent from last season’s team, with guys off to the NFL and others joining different programs. Heupel is going to have his work cut out for him in trying to figure out who his starting CBs will be moving forward. Don’t be surprised if the Vols bring in CB help during the spring portal too.
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