Gamecocks put best foot forward with coveted receiver prospect: ‘I love it here’

Wide receiver Jayden Gibson of Winter Garden, Florida is highly coveted by South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer and receivers coach Justin Stepp.

They see Gibson (6-4, 185) as that big-body receiver along the lines of former USC great Alshon Jeffery. Gibson took a two-day visit to USC with his father earlier in June. It was all positive for Gibson and the Gamecocks.

“I love it here, I like it a lot,” Gibson said. “I see this as a place I could possibly be. Definitely see this as an offense I could thrive in. Definitely see myself having a great relationship with Coach Stepp and Coach Beam. Two great coaches, two cool guys to be around, genuine guys, and that’s big for me.

“I like that it’s a city feel but at the same time not. When you’re on campus you don’t feel like you’re in a big city, but then you can get that side of life, too. There’s a lot of positives I didn’t know about here that I found out today. I’m glad I came because they definitely went up on my list a lot for sure.”

Gibson is a four-star prospect and ranked No. 228 overall nationally in the 2022 class.

Stepp was with Gibson step for step on the visit. And he has kept the big man on the move.

“I saw basically everything: campus, facilities, stadium, academics. Anything you can think of, I saw there,” Gibson said. “Seeing the football players working out in the morning was cool. I got to do a real cool photo shoot. Everything is good. I’m glad I came up here. It definitely opened my eyes to the opportunities that are here. I definitely feel the love from the staff and the surrounding area.”

Stepp shared with Gibson his belief that they would be good for one another.

“He really likes me as a person with what I bring to the table with my character, how I operate and how I carry myself,” Gibson said. “On top of that, he thinks I’m a great player with a great upside and thinks I can be even greater, one of the best to ever come through South Carolina. He thinks he can develop me to where I’ll be able to get everything I want out of the game of football.”

Gibson visited Florida this month and planned to visit Florida State and Miami — the latter trip being an official visit.

He has official visits planned for Baylor and Tennessee. Florida will also get an official visit, and he’s undecided on his fifth, which could go to the Gamecocks. He also plans to work in unofficial visits to Auburn and UCF.

Gibson, who had 32 catches for 775 yards and nine touchdowns last season, said he’s looking at making his decision just before his season or a couple of weeks into it.