Rickey Gibson was one of Texas A&M’s most underrated pickups from the transfer portal this past offseason, coming in mostly unheralded from the national media. Gibson was an absolute stud for the Tennessee Volunteers when he was on the field, but he missed most of last season after an upper-body injury that he sustained in the first game of the year.
Gibson was continuing to recover from that injury through spring ball for the Aggies, so Texas A&M fans did not get a chance to see him in the spring game. That’s led to most of the buzz surrounding one of the Aggies’ biggest question marks for the upcoming year, the cornerback spot opposite Dezz Ricks, to be about the stud freshman, Brandon Arrington.
While Arrington no doubt has a very bright future in the maroon and white, there’s no guarantee at all that the spot is his from an A&M perspective— and, indeed, there’s not quite been enough talk about the chances Gibson has in his final year of eligibility to be a premier corner for the Aggies. When his former coach, Tennessee head man Josh Heupel, and teammate, RB DeSean Bishop, took the podium at SEC Media Days, though, they both gave answers about Gibson that could seal the deal for Aggie fans on this question.
Josh Heupel and DeSean Bishop’s praise for transfer CB Rickey Gibson could seal the deal for Aggie fans
The Tennessee head coach spoke first and was a little bit circumspect about Gibson, but the praise he ended up giving him for his skill and ability was noticeable.
"A really good football player."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) July 20, 2026
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel on what kind of player Texas A&M is getting in CB Rickey Gibson III 👍 pic.twitter.com/PQzJrdkL5o
That’s certainly an endorsement that Aggie fans should take seriously, of course, but his former teammate, DeSean Bishop, was much more effusive. Bishop gave a glowing review of Gibson, not only as a player, but as a person, speaking to the type of human that the Aggies have in their locker room now.
"I believe he's going to make tons of plays over there at Texas A&M."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) July 20, 2026
Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop on transfer corner Rickey Gibson III 👍 pic.twitter.com/OqrqAopFrm
Of course, it’s not just about the off the field factor, here, it’s about the number of plays that Gibson will be making in the maroon and white— hopefully, as Bishop says, that’s a pretty high number.
Pairing Ricks and Gibson should give the Aggies one of the nation’s best pass defenses once more in the 2026 season— something that was overshadowed in 2025 by the tendency of the run game to give up big plays when the front got even slightly out of position. The ability to shut down quarterbacks and wide receivers that Texas A&M had last season was the backbone of their defense, and it will be key going forward.
Again, this is no slight to Julio Humphrey or Brandon Arrington, both of whom will no doubt contribute to the Aggies in a big way in this upcoming season. But the talk about Gibson this offseason has been much quieter than it should be, and it just feels every bit like he’s about to break out for the Aggies in 2026 in a big way.
Texas A&M’s pass defense will have an early and huge challenge against Arizona State, who brought in two of the top portal receivers this past year, so fans will quickly see just how up to the task the starting corners are. If it does end up being Ricks and Gibson, though, it will end up being a long day for the Sun Devils— as it will be for every Aggie opponent after that.
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