(*Editor's note...What the heck does "Commitment to Eight" mean? It is our new recurring title for recruit commitments referencing a commitment to work towards the Gopher's Eighth National Championship.)
The Detroit wide receiver visited the Gophers over the weekend of April 21-23 and quickly committed to Coach Fleck and the Gophers.
The thing that is often mentioned about Gibson is his lack of other Power 5 offers and the question then remains...is he a steal or are the Gophers taking a commitment from a MAC level player.
Let’s find out.
Commited to The University of Minnesota #RTB ♀️ pic.twitter.com/RdBSRjVJp0
— Erik Gibson (@D1Erik_13) April 22, 2017
Quotables
Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated ($cout).
As far as my commitment went, I told coach Fleck before I felt to head home. I said, "Thank you for believing in me, and I'd like to say that I believe in you, and I'd like to commit to the University of Minnesota." He was excited and full of energy after I told him, and he said that I made his day."
Scout’s Allen Trieu analysis
We like Gibson's game. He is a nice-sized outside receiver who attacks the ball and has sure hands. It remains to be seen if he is a gamebreaker, but we view him as a high floor guy. He will have a chance to really explode this season at Detroit King where he will see good competition and we think we will learn a lot more about him then, but as it stands, we believe Minnesota got a steal.
Measurables
Height: 6’ 1"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Big 4 Ratings:
Power 5 Offers - just us
- Scout - 3 stars
- Rivals - 3 stars (5.5 rating)
- 247 - 3 stars (81 rating)
- ESPN - n/a
Junior year highlights:
TDG Analysis
In Two Words - if you have to remember just two things about this player...
- Big
- High Floor (stole that from Trieu’s analysis, but it’s a good one)
Absurd Comparisons
At nearly 6’2” and not a ton of speed, but reliable and a Detroit native...I’m going to go with Ron Johnson. Wouldn’t this be a sweet pick-up if Gibson approaches Johnson’s records as one of the top receivers in Gopher history?
Scheme Fit
This guy is going to be a possession guy who gets the ball and moves the chains. I see this staff valuing guys like this. Guys who value the ball and move the chains over home-run threats and burners (though who wouldn’t take that too). This is not to say that Gibson is slow, in fact his 40 times this Spring have been a noteworthy surprise. But this year, when he plays in a more competitive league we shall see how his production fares. I suspect he will do very well and his stock will rise.
Impact on Other Prospects?
Jornell Manns is also a strong receiver but more of the slot kind of guy. Manns is going to be outside and as I mentioned before we have 7 receivers who are going to be freshmen or sophomores this year. So 2 receivers and they might be done. But you just never know at this point in the recruiting cycle.