Tag: jerrick gibson

Running Back Preview: Looking at who will contribute for Texas in 2024

How much will Texas split carries in 2024?

Running backs highlight much of the history of Texas football. More rushing success could be on its way this season.

There’s an impressive track record of bell cow backs carrying the team on the field. This year could see multiple backs contribute.

Cedric Baxter Jr. and Jaydon Blue return for another season after carrying the rushing attack after Jonathon Brooks’ injury. In Baxter and Blue, Texas has what could be a top one-two punch in the SEC.

Regardless of what coaches say, it’s easy to see a world in which both backs share carries fairly evenly. Albeit, Baxter might be the first to receive carries with Blue seeing several touches as a change of pace back.

The above two players aren’t the only ones in contention to get the football. Elite running back prospect Jerrick Gibson showed up physically ready for the college game. And if last year with a freshman CJ Baxter is any indication, Texas isn’t afraid to play its young players early.

Gibson and fellow freshman Christian Clark have high ceilings at Texas, but could be ready to play this season.

Second-year running back Tre Wisner could also carve a role for himself in the offense. Wisner isn’t built like your typical running back but has a versatile skill set that could provide value this season.

The Texas running back room has at least five players who could positively impact games if called upon to play. No room is completely injury proof but this position is close. We’ll follow how the room takes shape this spring.

Florida still pushing to flip recruits as 2024 cycle winds down

Florida is still pushing to flip some big-time recruits from the class of 2024, but reversing a commitment is no easy task.

Florida’s incoming recruiting class is already ranked No. 3 in the nation, but the Gators don’t stop until the national letters of intent are signed. Billy Napier and his recruiting staff are still in hot pursuit of the best talent in the country, even if those players are committed elsewhere.

The first name that jumps out is the nation’s top overall recruit, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who will move from South Florida to Columbus, Ohio. But it was four-star Alabama defensive back commit Jameer Grimsley who was in Jacksonville this weekend for the Florida-Georgia game.

Grimsley wasn’t particularly impressed with the Gators in the three-score loss, according to Swamp247’s Blake Alderman, but he should be he should see a much better product in Gainesville next week when he attends the Arkansas game.

“It was surprising with their win over Tennessee, and they are doing a lot better than I expected, but I wanted to see more from them today,” Grimsely said. “I really did have faith in them that they could beat this team, but we will see how the rest of the season goes.”

The Gators left tickets for four-star Texas running back commit Jerrick  Gibson at the game, but he didn’t end up making it to the game. His schedule was tight this weekend, but there’s a chance he will return for another game. Florida is still hanging around in this race, but it feels like Gibson is slipping further away from the Gators.

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Gators still showing interest in blue-chip Texas Longhorns RB commit

This Gainesville native is committed to Texas but could he have a change of heart this season with a game day visit?

Billy Napier and Co. have had their hands full this offseason restocking Florida football’s talent pipeline in pursuit of the best prep prospects the nation has to offer. While there have been plenty of coups along the way, the Gators have also fallen short on a few coveted recruits, including one from their own backyard.

Four-star running back [autotag]Jerrick Gibson[/autotag], who started his high school career at Gainesville High and now plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, after a stop at Jonesboro (Georgia) Mundy’s Mill. The 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound ground grinder committed to the Texas Longhorns on June 24 following an official visit and appears to be content with his decision.

However, while his commitment allows him to focus on his senior season at the prestigious academy, he has not shut the door on his recruitment completely. The Gators have not quite given up either, albeit now sparingly reaching out to him just in case he has a change of heart.

“Florida is a school I still hear from now and then,” Gibson told Swamp247. “It’s not like hard recruiting or anything I would say. It’s coach [Jabbar] Juluke that still hits me up. He says he wants to try to get me to one of their games again.”

He also added that “Gainesville is still my hometown. I could always go to a game.”

Can Florida get the coveted blue-chipper back on campus for one last gander at the Gators? Maybe witnessing a major win could change his mind. There are still several months until the official signing period, so anything can happen if Napier and crew make a push.

Gibson is ranked No. 48 overall and No. 2 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 64 and 5, respectively.

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Looking at the running backs Tashard Choice has recruited to Texas

Texas may have one of the best recruiters in the country.

Texas has become the premier destination for the top-ranked running backs in the country. There is one coach in particular that deserves his flowers for playing a large role in the recruiting success.

Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice has been an unsung hero for the Longhorns on the recruiting trail and on Saturday he struck again. When Texas lost Stan Drayton to Temple, it was a huge blow to the program and left some wondering if Steve Sarkisian could find someone that compares.

Well, for the second straight season Choice helped land one of the best running backs and players from the state of Florida, a state that the Longhorns prior to his arrival didn’t have the best luck in.

The Longhorns missed on names like Trey Sanders, Noah Cain, and T.J. Pledger at running back. From the span of 2016-2022 the program had landed just three Floridians. Now, with Choice’s ties to Florida the Longhorns have access to a state that is one of the most talent-rich in the country and have picked up consecutive commitments from top backs in Florida.

Let’s take a look at the major recruits Choice has hauled in for the Longhorns over the last couple years.

WATCH: Texas RB commit Jerrick Gibson scorches turf on 49-yard run

Texas should continue to hit home runs in the running game with Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian loves explosive plays. He could get that with his two running back commits in the 2024 recruiting class.

The Longhorns earned two breakaway talents in three days reeling in Arizona ace running back Christian Clark and the nation’s No. 2 back Jerrick Gibson. The latter back’s highlights flooded the news feed on social media featuring a guy who can leave defenders in the dust.

Sarkisian and running backs coach Tashard Choice are recruiting complete backs in Gibson, Clark and Cedric Baxter Jr, but all seem to have solid speed. One highlight run saw Gibson cruising past an opposing defense for a 49-yard score. The run clocked the talented back’s top speed at 20.9 miles per hour despite having to evade defenders in an imperfectly straight line.

The style of Gibson’s cuts behind the line of scrimmage are reminiscent of the running style of this year’s likely starting running back Jonathon Brooks. Outside of that, there’s not a close comparison to Gibson’s running style. Texas will look to maximize his skill set when he comes to campus in 2024.

Twitter reacts to Texas landing another blue-chip running back commit

Tashard Choice has done it again.

Texas added the seventh member to its 2024 recruiting class on Saturday. Continue reading “Twitter reacts to Texas landing another blue-chip running back commit”

Four-star RB Jerrick Gibson commits to Texas

Jerrick Gibson commits to Texas setting up perhaps the best running back class for 2024.

Running back recruiting is Tashard Choice’s world, and we’re just living in it. The Texas running back coach earned a second elite running back commitment in three days with arguably the best running back in the nation, Jerrick Gibson.

The four-star running back made his intent to join the Longhorns known on Saturday. He joins fellow running back commit Christian Clark in what appears to be one of the best running back classes Texas has ever assembled.

We’ll let Gibson and Clark decide which back will be known as lightning and which one will be thunder. What seems evident is Texas should be set to run the football at an elite level for years to come.

Gibson is the No. 2 running back and No. 48 overall player in the 2024 On3 consensus.

The top 2024 recruits visiting Texas the weekend of June 23-25

Numerous blue-chip recruits will be taking an official visit to Austin this weekend.

Texas has the opportunity to impress numerous blue-chip recruits this weekend. Continue reading “The top 2024 recruits visiting Texas the weekend of June 23-25”

2024 football recruits schedule June visits to Tennessee

A look at 2024 football recruits who scheduled visits to Tennessee this week.

Tennessee is scheduled to host multiple top 2024 prospects for official visits this week.

The Vols have 11 commitments in the class of 2024. Tennessee’s class ranks No. 13 nationally and sixth in the Southeastern Conference.

Updated 2024 SEC recruiting rankings after JJ Harrell decommits from Vols

Four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell decommitted from Tennessee on June 5. The Vols are listed as a leader for multiple top prospects in the class of 2024, according to On3s recruiting prediction machine.

Five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri and four-star defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin headline Tennessee’s visitor list.

Below are 2024 recruits scheduled to visit the University of Tennessee this week.