Georgia football: Deangelo Gibbs saga is over with transfer to Tennessee

Georgia football defensive back Deangelo Gibbs announced his decision to transfer to Tennessee on Thursday. Gibbs rarely appeared in his two years at UGA.

Sports are full of “what if’s” and “what could have been”. No sport, league, team, city, school, or level of play is exempt. Through the last two years, the biggest “what could have been” in Georgia football has been Deangelo Gibbs.

The former four-star safety from Grayson High School was one of the crown jewels of Kirby Smart’s first class entirely of his own recruits. Only five players ranked ahead of Gibbs (no. 4 safety, no. 49 player) in Georgia’s star-studded 2017 class which ranked no. 3 after National Signing Day. All five of those guys are now cornerstones of Georgia’s 2019 football team.

Gibbs is yet to live up to the hype. He hasn’t appeared in many games. His spot atop the recruiting rankings haven’t been forgotten, instead they are a constant reminder about the player he was supposed to be.

While those five players ranked over Gibbs began playing almost immediately as freshmen in 2017, he watched from the sideline until games got ugly. At the time though, no one thought anything of it. The Dawgs still had the ballhawk Dominick Sanders starting at one of the safety positions. Gibbs’s cousin J.R. Reed, a transfer from Tulsa, occupied the other safety position. meanwhile, Richard LeCounte, a five-star safety ranked two spots higher than Gibbs, saw meaningful action as a backup. Not everyone is ready to star right away, even top-50 recruits.

The doubts about Gibbs began right after the 2017 season ended, when he elected not to register for classes. For any other student, sitting out a semester is no big deal, especially for a freshman. But for a student athlete who needs to earn credits to remain on the team, Gibbs missing the school in the spring was a big deal. His absense from class also meant he wouldn’t be with the team for spring practices. Rumors swirled about his status with the team. Was he planning to transfer, or did he simply need time to adjust to life away from his Gwinnett County home?

The latter appeared to be true in the summer of 2018 when Gibbs returned to the team and began practicing for the upcoming season. Surely 2018 would be his season to shine, especially with Sanders exhausting his eligibility. A fresh spot had opened for him. And that was the case for one week in 2018. Gibbs played extensively in the season opener against Austin Peay. It was time for him to shine. He appeared considerably less a week later against South Carolina. And that was the status quo for the first half of the year. In Georgia’s last seven games, Gibbs only played once. He wasn’t even with the team for the Sugar Bowl.

Once again, Gibbs failed to register for the spring 2019 semester at UGA. This time, making him ineligible to stay with the team as he lacked the college credits required to play. And on Thursday, Gibbs decided to make several switches. From red and black, to orange and white. From defense to offense. From the Classic City to the Great Smoky Mountains. And from Georgia to Tennessee.

Regardless of how you or anyone wanted the Deangelo Gibbs saga to end, everyone has to be thankful it’s over. For fans, we no longer have to question one of our player’s loyalties. The coaches know what spot they need to fill. Players know whose spot they’re competing for. And Gibbs can have his fresh start, hopefully in a setting he’s comfortable at.