DeAngelo Gibbs embraces fresh start at South Carolina: ‘It’s a blessed opportunity’
DeAngelo Gibbs wasn’t sure if he’d play football again.
The former four-star wide receiver hasn’t played a game since 2018. He entered the transfer portal after stints with Georgia and Tennessee, hoping for another chance.
Now four years away from the game, Gibbs is looking to make the most of his next opportunity. And a call from Shane Beamer helped move that process forward and land Gibbs at South Carolina.
“When he saw my name in the transfer portal, he reached out to me and got me on a visit, and the ball was rolling from there,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs, now 25 years old, joined Georgia’s roster in 2017 — while Beamer was an assistant coach — and left after two seasons before transferring to Tennessee, a time when NCAA rules held him out for a whole season.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he decided to opt out of the 2020 season but stayed around the team to practice and work out. When Tennessee dealt with NCAA sanctions over recruiting violations, Gibbs didn’t want his name, image and likeness opportunities to be affected, so he stepped away.
He said he enrolled in a small university in Florida to play football, but things didn’t work out. He then began to consider various job opportunities.
Beamer said he “lost track” of Gibbs at one point, but had known about him from his UGA days because of how hard the Bulldogs recruited him out of Peachtree Ridge and Grayson high schools in Georgia. A 2015 Bleacher Report article called Gibbs “College Football Recruiting’s Next Big Thing.”
It’s been an unorthodox journey for Gibbs, but he’s found a third SEC stop in Columbia.
“There’s just something about maturing, and understanding that I’m not perfect and that I wasn’t perfect coming out of high school,” Gibbs said. “I was young and I was caught up in the limelight. I was caught up in the wrong things. However, this opportunity has formed and shaped me to become the better man that I can truly be.”
Derrick Moore — USC’s executive director of character and player development — had a connection with Gibbs’ family and brought his availability to Beamer’s attention late in the 2022 season.
“We promised him an opportunity to come in and compete, and we’ll see what happens,” Beamer said. “And he’s been awesome.”
Gibbs, speaking with reporters last week, discussed how much he wants to take advantage of this new experience.
He spoke passionately with a high level of composure, showing an increased level of maturity he’s gained in the years without playing. He had 10 tackles across 13 games played in two seasons at Georgia, according to his USC bio. He recorded no statistics in his time at Tennessee.
“I’m thankful that I’ve actually been through the trials and tribulations, the hurdles and obstacles that I’ve been through,” Gibbs said. “So now that I know, it’s like I know exactly what I’ve got to do. I know exactly what I’ve got to accomplish, exactly how I’m gonna do it. And at the end of the day, that’s what I’m doing.”
Gibbs (6-1, 218) has emphasized making the most of his time at South Carolina both on and off the field. He stressed the importance of thriving in the classroom and also putting in the work with his training.
Part of what intrigued him about USC was the community service opportunities, he said. He cited the team’s efforts to do charitable events for kids with cancer, describing it as “heartwarming” to see.
“There’s a deep connection rooted within this organization to give back,” Gibbs said, “to help in any way and any form possible. Whether it’s reading to some elementary school students, whether it’s talking to fifth-graders, going to middle schools and telling them the opportunities that they have for them and to chase their dreams.”
On the field, he plans to play defensive back, saying that will keep him in better shape.
He came out of high school as a wide receiver and played defensive back and Georgia. While in Athens, he formed a bond with Beamer. The 2017 season was their year of overlap, and Gibbs saw head coaching potential in Beamer at that time.
“He had that tenacity,” Gibbs said. “He had that ability to get everybody fired up, everybody to run a brick wall if they had to for him.”
Gibbs was willing to accept any role at South Carolina.
He said there are “no days off, literally” for him as he looks to help the program in any way he can. The Gamecocks start spring practice Tuesday.
“I would be doing my team a disservice if I did not bring what I can bring to the table and work hard every single day,” Gibbs said. “It’s a blessed opportunity for me to be here.”
South Carolina 2023 transfer class
RB Mario Anderson, Newberry
TE Nick Elksnis, Florida
TE Trey Knox, Arkansas
TE Joshua Simon, Western Kentucky
WR Eddie Lewis, Memphis
OL Nick Gargiulo, Yale
OL Sidney Fugar, Western Illinois
LB Jaron Willis, Ole Miss
DB DeAngelo Gibbs, Tennessee
