Rickey Gibson III’s first season at Texas A&M hasn’t matched the role he was expected to fill when he left Tennessee, and the numbers show it.
The former Vol cornerback, who spent his first three seasons in Knoxville before entering the transfer portal last offseason, landed with Mike Elko’s program after being a key piece of Tennessee’s strong 2024 defense. Playing opposite NFL Draft pick Jermod McCoy, Gibson finished that year with 32 tackles, three pass deflections and one forced fumble. He also earned Tennessee’s eighth-highest defensive PFF grade in 2024.
That made his 2025 situation in College Station a little surprising. Gibson was supposed to have a major role with Tennessee this season, but his year took a different turn when he was injured in the Vols’ opener against Syracuse and missed the rest of the season. Tennessee turned to then-freshman Ty Redmond, and he made the most of the opportunity.
At Texas A&M, Gibson has appeared in six of the Aggies’ nine games, but he hasn’t started a single one. His workload has dropped sharply since September, according to Pro Football Focus.
He logged 18 snaps in Game 1, 33 in Game 2, 38 in Game 3 and 35 in Game 4. After that, he played just seven snaps in Game 6 and two in Game 7.
He did not record any snaps in Game 5 against Arkansas, Game 8 against Alabama or Game 9 against South Carolina.
For the season, his only stat line is eight tackles.
Tennessee, meanwhile, moved on quickly in the cornerback room. The Vols knew they would have Redmond after his strong freshman year, then added former Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee to line up alongside him.
Together, Redmond and Lee have formed a tough, playmaking duo. Both bring physicality and a knack for making big plays.
The coaching staff around them has changed too. Tennessee brought in Derek Jones as cornerbacks coach and Anthony Poindexter as secondary coach, and both have been positive additions to the defense. Those moves, along with the emergence of Redmond and Lee, helped Tennessee absorb the offseason losses of Colton Hood, Jermod McCoy and Gibson.
Whether Gibson’s reduced role at Texas A&M affects his playing time against Tennessee on Saturday remains unclear. A number of former teammates could see him on the opposite sideline, but it’s not certain they’ll actually share the field.
In Other News...
Tennessee Gets One Break But Another Loss Just Got Much Tougher
Tennessee got a small bit of good news in its first injury update of the week ahead of Texas A&M, with tight end DaSaahn Brame not appearing on the availability report after leaving the previous game. For a team trying to steady itself late in the season, any healthy return matters, especially when the offense is juggling bodies and the margin for error keeps shrinking.
The harder blow came on the other side of the ball, where sack leader Tyree Weathersby was ruled out for the year with a knee injury. He became the eighth Tennessee player to suffer a season-ending injury this season, and the list does not stop there, with six other players already sidelined for multiple games. For a defense that has leaned on depth all year, the latest update only adds to the challenge of getting through a demanding stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Gets Encouraging DaSaahn Brame News Before Texas A&M
Tennessees first availability report ahead of Texas A&M brought some encouraging news on sophomore tight end DaSaahn Brame, who is expected to be available after taking a head injury in the Kentucky game. Brames status had been worth watching after he went to the ground on a touchdown catch attempt that was later overturned on review, with officials ruling he did not maintain possession through the ground.
Josh Heupel confirmed the review and sounded confident Brame would be ready for the matchup. For Tennessee, getting one of its young tight ends back in the mix matters as the Vols turn the page to a tough SEC test and keep sorting out their passing-game options heading into Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Made A Strong New Push For Four-Star DL RJ Wyms
Tennessees latest home win gave RJ Wyms a first-hand look at what the program can do on a big stage. The four-star defensive lineman was at Neyland Stadium for his first Tennessee football game day and saw the Volunteers handle Kentucky by 28 points, smothering the Wildcats early and never letting them find much room to breathe. For a recruit weighing his next steps, it was the kind of atmosphere that can leave a mark.
Wyms has already been in contact with Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner, and the visit gave him another chance to size up the staff in person. He came away with positive impressions of the defense and the coaching around it, while still considering trips to other schools as his recruitment moves forward. For Tennessee, the timing of that strong showing could hardly have been better. [Read more 🡒]