Vols Football 2015 Offers: Quarterbacks

1. Torrance Gibson

By far the highest-rated quarterback on Tennessee’s list, Torrance Gibson has been the talk of 2015 recruiting for not only the Vols, but a handful of other SEC teams and Ohio State.

Gibson is a 5-star dual-threat quarterback who is technically listed as an athlete on some recruiting sites because of his overall skill set and his ability to play wide receiver. He’s listed as the No. 18 overall player in the nation and No. 2 athlete. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native is one of the highest-rated prospects on Tennessee’s board, and the Vols have been after him for months.

As a junior, Gibson amassed 1,789 passing yards and 19 scores while only throwing 3 interceptions. He also ran the ball 111 times for 1,063 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. Gibson clearly has the talent to be a productive dual-threat QB, but many question whether or not QB will be his best position in college.

Gibson is currently at The Opening, a camp that is held for elite prospects to show off their skills and be rated by recruiters. At The Opening, Gibson has been playing as a wide receiver a lot, lining up and showing off his skills as a deep threat and slot receiver. At 6-4, 200 lbs, Gibson would certainly make a fine receiver, and he even has the speed to do so, running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at The Opening.

Many schools are targeting Gibson as a receiver, but it seems as though the schools who are pursuing him as a QB have an edge over the others. Gibson has said that he’s glad Tennessee wants him as a quarterback, and he at least wants a shot to play as a quarterback in college.

Gibson’s recruitment has been all over the board so far. He’s listed his leaders several times, but now he says he won’t list any more leaders till he commits somewhere. Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Central Florida, and Miami are all believed to be players in his recruitment, however. Ohio State may have backed off him at the moment, but nothing is perfectly clear with Gibson’s recruitment.

Torrance Gibson does have some work to do if he wants to be a stud quarterback in college, and that’s why many teams are recruiting him as a wide receiver. But Gibson seems intent on proving the doubters wrong, and he’s said the SEC teams on his list are the top ones because they are the ones most likely to use him at QB. Tennessee and Auburn have largely been the favorites to land Gibson, but Miami and even UCF could end up getting him when it’s all said and done.

There are tons of questions surrounding Gibson at the moment. His penchant for naming leaders and posting often on social media appears to concern some teams, and there were even rumors back in May that he had been suspended from his high school. Gibson is a polarizing figure, but as Texas A&M and Cleveland Brown fans can attest in the case of Johnny Manziel, sometimes such figures can do just as much harm to a team as they do good.

Gibson has said he will announce his college decision in the fall sometime around October, so stay tuned to see what changed between now and then.