‘He comes from nothing.’ Boise State defensive tackle survived hurricanes, homelessness

Boise State defensive tackle Herbert Gums doesn’t say much, but he has a quiet confidence, according to defensive line coach Frank Maile.

“I think he knows what he’s capable of,” Maile told reporters on Tuesday. “He doesn’t say anything unless he’s asked, and he’s a ‘yes sir,’ ‘no, sir’ kind of person, but every now and then he sneaks in a joke.”

For Gums, the confidence and attitude come from a lifetime of overcoming tragedy.

He was 7 years old and living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina demolished the city in August 2005. His family moved to a small town in eastern Texas — only to be displaced by Hurricane Rita a month later. His family was homeless for a while, and Gums now hasn’t lived with his parents since he was 16.

Gums could have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and neglect, but he got a second chance in the small town of Diboll, Texas, about 110 miles north of Houston, and he’s making the most of it.

“That’s what drives me to play this game,” Gums said. “Nothing is going to be given to you. You have to earn everything, but anything is possible if you work hard and keep at it.”

Gums will return to Texas this week as Boise State (2-1) travels to UTEP on Friday (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

He came to Boise State in 2020 as a promising but raw defensive lineman, but the 305-pound redshirt sophomore’s role has expanded this year, and that has as much to do with his mentality as his athleticism, Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said.

“I love Herbert Gums for who he is as a person,” Danielson said. “He’s a young man who has been through so much and has had every excuse to give up and blame the world, but that’s not him. He’s respectful, hard-working, grateful and willing to learn, and as a coach or a man, you can’t ask for anything more.”

Gums has been part of the Broncos’ defensive line rotation in every game this season. He also has carved out a role for himself as the fullback in Boise State’s Clydesdale Package, which is a jumbo formation that also features defensive tackle Scott Matlock as an extra tight end. The offense is used in short-yardage situations with those two on the field, Maile said, even near the goal line.

“They’re big horses, and when they get on the field, it’s TD time,” Maile said. “I’m always crossing my fingers that they’re going to give (Gums) the ball because he’s exciting to watch.”

It wouldn’t be the first time. Gums was a 250-pound running back until he suffered a knee injury his junior year at Diboll High School. He tore his ACL in 2020 as a Boise State freshman and had to go through the rehab process again, but that was nothing compared to the hurdles he had to clear just to have a shot at a college football career.

“He comes from nothing,” Diboll High School football coach Blake Morrison said. “When you come from nothing and you get something, it just means more to you.”

Boise State’s defense, dynamic past 2 weeks, among nation’s best in some key categories

Surviving Katrina

He was just a kid, but Gums said he never will forget the moments before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

“You could hear it a mile away, the sky got dark and everything smelled wet way before it hit,” Gums said. “It’s not something you want to experience.”

Gums and his family didn’t make it out. When floodwaters reached their pinnacle, the family was clinging to pieces of driftwood and praying for rescue, he said. When a boat finally came, Gums’ younger brother fell back in the water, and his older brother had to jump in to save him.

“It was like we were in a movie where the world was ending,” Gums said.

When Gums and his family were forced to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Rita hit, they found their home in ruins. All of their possessions, birth certificates and school records were destroyed. They were able to get some necessities from a local disaster shelter, but they were homeless.

The family took up residence under a bridge on the outskirts of New Orleans, he said, and spent more than a month sharing a tent and doing their best to find their next meal.

“Most people can’t comprehend what it means to have nothing,” Morrison said. “A lot of people in this world would have turned to drugs and gangs, or would have turned bitter and angry, but I never heard (Gums) say he was owed anything.”

Gums said he found his silver lining in Diboll, a rural town in eastern Texas that borders the Davy Crocket National Forest and has a population of just over 5,000 people.

Gums’ mother knew someone in Diboll and moved the family there, but his parents didn’t stay. By the time he was 16, Gums and his younger brother, Jeremiah, were on their own. They lived with classmates for a while, and Gums moved in with Morrison after injuring his knee his junior year of high school.

“It took him a little while to make himself at home, but he settled in,” Morrison said. “He’s always been a real respectful young man, but he never had a strong male role model to teach him about life.”

Morrison assumed that role. He said he taught Gums how to respect his elders and learn about right and wrong. He even taught him how to drive.

“I didn’t learn all that back in Louisiana,” Gums said. “He taught me how to be a man, and I’ll always be thankful to him for that.”

‘I told him to hit somebody’

Gums said Morrison also taught him one of the most important lessons he learned as a football player. Play hard no matter what.

Gums was timid in one of his first scrimmages as a running back, so Morrison called him over to the sideline and reminded him that football is a physical game.

“Nobody wanted to tackle that big boy, and there he was dancing around like he’s Barry Sanders or something,” Morrison said. “I told him to hit somebody and don’t stop hitting them until the whistle blows.”

Gums took the lesson to heart. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore and was on pace to do it again before the junior year injury. He transitioned to the defensive line later that year, but no matter what position he played, Gums helped put Diboll High on the map, Morrison said.

“If I had to call the role of the top football players I’ve coached in 27 years, his name would be called pretty quick,” said Morrison, noting that Gums was the first player from Diboll to earn a Division I scholarship since former University of Texas and Green Bay Packers tight end Jermicheal Finley.

Gums’ recruitment heated up the summer before his senior year. He visited Texas and LSU, and had scholarship offers from other Power Five programs, but Gums said he chose Boise State because of his relationship with Danielson, who was recruiting him for the Broncos.

“Coach D believed in me, and I didn’t feel like he was trying to sell me something,” Gums said. “He just always picks people up. Even if you’re having a bad day, he builds you up and shows that he loves you.”

Gums had never been on a plane before his official visit to Boise State. He said it took a lot to convince him to leave Texas, but called it one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

He also said Diboll will always be home to him.

“If I make it big, I’m going to go back to Diboll and do something big for the community,” Gums said.

BOISE STATE AT UTEP

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Sun Bowl Stadium (45,971)

TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burress)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 2-1, UTEP 1-3

Series: Boise State and UTEP have played six times since 2000, and the Broncos are 6-0 in the series. The Miners traveled to Albertsons Stadium last season and lost 54-13.

Vegas line: Boise State by 15.5

Weather: High of 91 degrees, 0% chance of rain, 7 mph winds