“Oh, man, first of all, he’s humble. He’s a five-star with a one-star mentality,” Jerrick Gibson‘s father said, praising his son’s down-to-earth personality. However, the Texas running back did not get support from his father in the early days of his football journey. Having a negative thought about the sports world, once his father said to Gibson, “I know the toll it took on me“.

Nevertheless, the 11-year-old boy had an interest in playing football and that is why he played games with his neighbors on a daily basis. But the twist came when the little boy started to play real football with the support of his family. Let’s take a glimpse of the interesting story.

How Gibson’s football journey started from a dot

Born in Gainesville, Fla., Jerrick attended IMG Academy in Florida and became a four-star running back; during his school time, he started playing without his father knowing. Actually, Gibson’s older brother signed him up and Gibson took this as a challenge to compete. Suddenly, one day Gibson’s father, Victor Jenkins, fell into the news his boy was on the gridiron, and after a few days Gibson’s remarkable performance made his father believe that football is something that might work for his child. Conversely, Heather Johnson, Gibson’s mother, knew the whole scenario and stayed by his side throughout his journey. No more information regarding Gibson’s parents’ profession is publicly available.

Gradually Jenkins becomes the major support system of Gibson’s football journey to see his grit and determination. In this fact, Earic Williams, his youth coach, said “He has a mindset he’s not going to be second to nobody and from there it’s history“. It seems like Gibson’s immense love and hard work make him the No. 2 running back via 247Sports. Let’s have a look at the journey of becoming no. 2.

Gibson’s Future with Texas as a RB

After playing two seasons at IMG Academy, Gibson got offers from Georgia, Alabama, Miami, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and other major programs. But the five-star athlete chose Texas over any other, as he believed that coach choice matters a lot. Gibson has built a good relationship with Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and running backs coach Tashard Choice. Sarkisian’s offensive scheme and the track record of producing NFL talent, such as Bijian Robinson, who was the no. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, heavily influenced Gibson’s decision.

Gibson chose Texas based on where his heart was and participated in the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl in 2020. The All-America and all-District honoree was also invited to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl. Currently, the no. 2 ranked running back is preparing for next season and it is expected that his incredible performance can change the position of Texas Longhorns.