Tennessee cornerback Rickey Gibson III is one of the Vols’ bigger departing names to hit the portal, and appears to have quickly drawn interest from a couple of teams in the SEC. Gibson was projected to be one of Tennessee’s star cornerbacks in 2025, but he missed nearly the entire season after suffering an upper-body injury in the opener against Syracuse that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
According to On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos, Gibson has visits lined up to both Auburn and Texas A&M. Nakos’ prediction for Gibson lies with the Aggies, but he did note that his confidence level was low.
“With visits scheduled to Auburn and Texas A&M, Rickey Gibson is early in the process of his transfer recruitment,” Nakos writes. “But early signs have pointed to the cornerback landing with the Aggies. That could obviously change with Auburn scheduled to get him on campus on Wednesday.”
If Gibson does wind up playing at either Auburn or Texas A&M in 2026, he’ll be set to play against the Vols at some point next fall. Tennessee will host Auburn in Neyland Stadium in the first week of October and will visit Texas A&M at Kyle Field on the second weekend of November. Either way, there’s a chance that he’s lining up against former teammates Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley at some point next season.
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Lining up on the opposite side of Jermod McCoy during the Vols’ 2024 campaign, Gibson had his true breakout season. He tallied 32 total tackles, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble during the Vols’ 10-win season. In 42 career games with Tennessee, he’s got 42 total tackles, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Gibson has yet to record an interception as a collegiate player.
According to On3 Sports, Gibson is a four-star prospect in the transfer portal. He’s also tagged as the No. 66 overall player and the No. 7 cornerback in the portal. It’s no surprise to see Gibson command some interest from SEC schools after his production during the 2024 season.
The only other interesting note here is that Gibson could have the chance to reunite with his former defensive coordinator if he goes to Auburn. Alex Golesh hired ex-Tennessee DC Tim Banks to be the Tigers’ co-DC and safeties coach in December, which could provide Gibson with some good familiarity if he winds up going there.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football portal news.
