Brunswick High School senior Jackson Gibbs wants to earn his PhD one day, expounding on theorems and working in the world of academia with colleagues of his intellectual kin. Unless, of course, he gets to play in the trenches of the offensive line as a professional football player. Whatever the future holds, Gibbs has a distinct goal in mind. “To be successful and make a difference in the world somehow,” he said.
With his abilities, Gibbs will more than likely hit his mark. He has the intelligence to be a college professor and the size, strength and athletic ability to play football at the highest collegiate level.
With a 3.75 grade point average, Gibbs is a member of the Beta Club and the A and A/B honor rolls. He is still considering his options for college but wants to attend a four-year university and earn his doctorate, possibly in the field of mathematics. Coaches believe his academic abilities add to his on-field abilities.
“That’s huge because you like to put your more intelligent linemen at center,” said Brunswick Head Football Coach Victor Floyd, “because they have to be able to adjust blocking schemes and read defenses for the offensive line. There’s a lot of weight on the center’s shoulders.”
For now, Gibbs sees himself continuing his academic career, but college scouts have started calling to find out more about the football player Gibbs has made himself into over the past three years. Schools such as Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky have shown interest in Gibbs as well as many other schools in the Sunbelt Conference and Conference USA. Floyd believes Gibbs will play at the collegiate level as a center and long-snapper. At a hulking 6’4″ and 275 pounds, Gibbs is a menacing presence on the Brunswick offensive line, playing guard, center and long snapper for the Pirates.
But there was a time when he wasn’t the biggest player on the field, back when he would play pickup games in the yard with his brother’s friends who were six years older than he was. “And Jackson didn’t even care that they were bigger,” his father, Billy Gibbs said. He started playing organized football at the age of six at the Glynn County Recreation Department where he was usually an offensive and defensive lineman. However, on one occasion, Coach Buddy Wolff lined him up as a running back and on the first play, Gibbs ran a touchdown. He continued playing on traveling teams and then played middle school ball at Jane Macon.
Since then, he has been a three-year starter for Coach Victor Floyd’s team. He still recalls his sophomore year and his first chance to start against archrival Glynn Academy. The huge crowd at Glynn County Stadium made him nervous, but Gibbs pulled it together to help his team to a two-point victory over the Red Terrors. Since then, the Brunswick City Championship has become a source of pride for Gibbs who says his favorite part of playing football has been, “looking at the scoreboard in the Glynn Academy games the past two seasons,” as they have defeated their rivals in consecutive years.
Coach Floyd points out that as a starter at center for two years, Gibbs has had over 800 snaps for the Pirates. During that time, Coach Floyd can recall only two bad snaps from Gibbs while playing with some of the state’s best defenders lined up over his head. His first big play in high school came against the Ware County Gators when Gibbs, while facing a highly-touted nose guard, hit the opposing player so hard that it put him on his back. Gibbs still takes pride in pancaking the Gator’s star.
When he is not playing football or studying, Gibbs works for his father at Captain Joe’s Seafood in Brunswick. He has also started mentoring younger kids, teaching them to do right, make goals and stick to them. For his senior season, Gibbs’ own goals are carved in stone. “Work hard. Go 110 percent. Be a leader on the field, and have no mercy.”
SE-AA-0914- Gibbs
Southeast-Academic Athlete-September 2014
Jackson Gibbs
Brunswick High School
Coach Victor Floyd
Written by Rob Asbell
