Hough (NC) three-star safety Gavin Gibson has made his decision.
“I’m locking in with Maryland,” he tells Inside the Black and Gold.
Maryland tops Virginia for the 5-foot-11, 175-pound safety to give the Terps their second safety commitment in the 2022 class. Gibson took his official visit to Maryland back on October 30 to watch the Terps beat Indiana during their homecoming game as the three-star prospect explains his choice.
“Just being able to go on the official visit, being able to see all the facilities, being able to see the game atmosphere and connect with all the coaches. That’s really what won me over, just seeing all the coaches in person and seeing what they were all about.” Gibson was originally slated to commit on Thanksgiving but opted to postpone to officially visit Virginia. It was the third time to Charlottesville for Gibson and his family as the Hoos then had a chance to impress, but head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s resignation last month tipped the scale. Gibson admitted the coaching change “for sure” impacted his decision, but Maryland safeties coach Brian Stewart did well to make Gibson feel wanted.
“I feel like me and him have a good connection already, just being around him every day and getting all the coaching and knowledge that he knows, we’re going to hit the ground running.” Gibson’s time spent at head coach Mike Locksley’s house during his official visit also resonated. “Whenever I was at his house, we were talking about how he wants to build this program. This is his hometown; he loves it here. His dream job was to be the head coach at Maryland so he wants to build that program up and I feel like with me coming there, the rest of the recruits coming in, we can do that.”
Conference affiliation wasn’t a huge drawing point in his recruitment, but Gibson sees the appeal of playing in the Big Ten. “I like to compete, go out and play against the best competition and you have that in the Big Ten. They have some of the best athletes in the nation so playing them week in, week out is going to be challenging and I’m looking forward to it.”
Name, image, and likeness have played an increased role in modern recruiting as Gibson notes the advantage that Maryland has to offer. “I feel like that’s the part where I can make an impact early. Also, throughout college having great NIL deals being in the DMV. I just feel like that’s going to be a good fit for me.”
With his decision now public, Gibson will sign next Wednesday, December 15, and enroll in College Park in January. He’s ready to begin his college career. “Just being around new people, seeing a new atmosphere, continuing my football career at the next level. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Gibson is rated a three-star prospect and an 86 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the 26th-best prospect in North Carolina. He becomes the 13th commitment in Maryland’s class, which now sits with the 50th-best class nationally according to the 247Sports team rankings.
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