Not a subscriber to GBK? There’s no better time than now, we kick-off our 2016 analysis and coverage of the Army Black Knights’ football season.
OUR 3RD SELECTION:
Each year about this time, GoBlackKnights.com identifies a few players that it expects to have breakout seasons. With 9 of the 11 starters returning on defense, there are fewer opportunities for a defensive player to meet our criterion for a breakout year.
OUR 3RD SELECTION:
For our fifth breakout choice, we return to the defensive side of the line to select Gibby Gibson, a young sophomore who broke into the lineup last season at SAM where he appeared in 4 games with one start against Rutgers last season. In his limited time on the field, he was credited with 4 tackles.
WHY HE’LL BREAKOUT:
It’s difficult for a freshman to crack the starting lineup at any school, but even more difficult for a direct report plebe at any of the academies. Plebes have to learn to balance the rigors of academy academics and military requirements with learning to play football at a whole new level. USMAPS grads have at least had a year to experience military life and play at a level higher than they did in high school, but not so for the direct reports.
Gibson was one of two direct reports who were rated as three-star prospects by Rivals last year, and many fans expected both to make a significant contribution on the defense. Both were converted to outside linebackers, and both started the season in reserve roles. As we mentioned in a previous article, we believe that Kenneth Gibson achieved his breakout as a plebe, earning 6 starting assignments, while Gibson had what can be described as a more typical good season for a plebe. With plebe year behind him and a full year of experience in the system, Gibson appears poised for a breakout.
WHAT HE’S CAPABLE OF:
Gibson was recruited as a safety out of Virginia, but he was converted to outside linebacker in pre-season last year. His main competitor for the SAM spot, Alex Aukerman, was also recruited as a safety and converted to outside linebacker when he arrived at West Point. Aukerman distinguished himself on special teams as a plebe before having a breakout season at SAM last year. Aukerman bulked up to better than average linebacker size in the process, while Gibson still has the size and speed more characteristic of a strong safety.
Gibson is unlikely to bump Aukerman out of the starting role at SAM, but as defensive coordinator Jay Bateman confirmed to GBK, “He's going to play a lot even with Aukerman playing in front of them. He's a very athletic LB.” More to the point, Bateman confirmed that Gibson “will play in all the nickel/dime schemes. He's very versatile.”
It’s in his role as the designated nickel back that we see Gibson’s biggest opportunity for a breakout year. We were not overly impressed with Tevin Long’s performance in that role last year, and we think that Gibson’s experience at safety will give him an edge as the 5th defensive back that Long didn’t have as a converted quarterback. We expect to see his presence in the defensive backfield help shore up some weaknesses in short coverage up the middle.
WHAT COULD STAND IN HIS WAY:
Barring injuries, we don’t see anything standing in his way at nickel back, but he will get a lot of competition from Aukerman for playing time at SAM when Bateman is not employing the nickel package. Long had a lot of snaps as the designated nickel last season, which bodes well for Gibson’s opportunities in 2016.
GBK’s PREDICTION:
We expect Gibson to fill the #2 spot at SAM on the depth chart and get the starting nod in games where Bateman wants to bolster the pass defense. He will benefit from his additional year of experience and become a major contributor to the defense.
Stay tuned as GBK features additional breakout players for 2016.
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