Tennessee football adds commitment from 2023 Alabama DB Rickey Gibson

Defensive backs have been a heavy focus for Josh Heupel on the recruiting trail when it comes to the Vols’ 2023 class. Tennessee football added another secondary player over the weekend from the state of Alabama, beating out schools like the Georgia Bulldogs in the process.

Rickey Gibson, a three-star across the board out of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala., became Rocky Top’s 20th commitment for next year’s class. Standing between 5’11” and 6’1″ while weighing in the range of 165 to 175 pounds, Gibson is listed as a cornerback.

With this commitment, Tennessee football now has five defensive backs in its 2023 class plus two athletes who could line up there. The Birmingham-area commitment joins Sylvester Smith as two defensive backs out of Alabama. He announced his decision Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

Despite all the commitments in the secondary, Gibson is just the second cornerback. A heavier reliance on safety made sense given the fact that Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough are both likely to be gone soon, but Heupel and Tim Banks have already built up depth there.

Both transfers this past offseason, Andre Turrentine of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wesley Walker of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, play safety. Commitments in this past year’s class, Christian Harrison and Jourdan Thomas, also primarily have experience there.

Add in returning guys like Tamarion McDonald and Christian Charles, and the Vols are loaded at safety. As a result, they now need more help at cornerback, and Gibson could be just that for them. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Gibson has great closing speed, isn’t afraid to get physical, and knows how to stick with receivers. There were some interceptions in the reel, but what really stood out was Gibson’s ability to not really get beat in coverage.

That’s a huge asset in SEC play, and Tennessee football obviously needs all the help it can get there. As a result, Gibson being a true cornerback will help out a lot. He could even get a look at nickel when he arrives on campus.