Tennessee’s Rickey Gibson at Spring Practice After Transfer Portal Announcement
Tennessee defensive back Rickey Gibson was at spring practice after his transfer portal announcement.
Spring practice has started up for the Tennessee Volunteers and that will provide some storylines to follow leading up to the spring scrimmage, but there is already some potential positive news for the Volunteers. Defensive back Rickey Gibson was at spring practice this week despite announcing his intentions to enter the portal this spring.
Gibson was a major contributor on defense for the Volunteers in 2024. He missed the season opener against Chattanooga, but after that, he was a familiar face in the lineup for Tennessee. Gibson totaled 32 tackles, five pass breakups and two tackles for loss. It’s why many were puzzled when Gibson announced his plans to enter the portal.
The potential loss of Gibson also came at a bad time considering Jermod McCoy, who played opposite of Gibson, is working back from an ACL tear that occurred earlier in the offseason. The thought of the Volunteers starting the season without both of their starting cornerbacks from a season ago is not a comfortable feeling.
Gibson being at practice does not officially mean he will be staying with the Volunteers as the transfer portal window doesn’t open until later this spring, but it is a good sign. At the very least, it means Gibson still has some interest in staying with the program, and could very well be starting for Tennessee during the 2025 season.
Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Rickey Gibson plans to enter the transfer portal.
While the transfer portal window is not currently open but will open back up during the spring, a Tennessee player has already announced their intentions to do so. Defensive back Rickey Gibson has announced he plans to enter the portal.
Gibson was a sophomore in 2024 and was a contributor for the Volunteers on defense. In 2024, Gibson finished with 32 tackles, five pass deflections and a forced fumble. Gibson was expected to see an increase in his role with the Volunteers next season, but it looks like that will occur at a different program in 2025.
Coming out of high school, Gibson was rated as a four-star prospect, was rated the 289th-best overall player in the class, the 31st-best defensive back and the 19th-best player in the state of Alabama in the 2023 recruiting class.
