Gophers Rope in 2021 Transfer from (FCS) Abilene Christian

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Dec 4, 2020
Photo: Jeremy Enlow (ACU)

The Minnesota Gophers are way too young on defense, especially at linebacker. So, PJ Fleck and Co took a stab at fixing the issue through the transfer portal, a tool they’ve rarely used and when they have, the results have been mixed. Jack Gibbens was a senior at (FCS) Abilene Christian University in 2020, a season that didn’t count against future eligibility.

More about Jack Gibbens (via the Abilene Reporter News)

In the classroom and off the field, Jack looks like a 100% PJ Fleck guy. He was even a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, a trophy awarded yearly to college football’s top scholar-athlete.“

In his four years in Abilene, Gibbens racked up a 4.0 cumulative GPA and spent more time on the Dean’s list than I spent in class during college. He also wore the “C” for ACU during his junior and senior seasons and, obviously, was a regular on the Academic All-America teams.

On the field

On the field, Jack Gibbens lead ACU in tackles this season (6 games) with 42. That included 2.5 TFL’s and 1 sack. The sack came in a televised game vs Virginia. He also recorded 14 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, and 1 fumble recovery vs Angelo State. In 2019, Gibbens had 104 tackles and in 2018 he had 77.

We’ll see how well Gibbens can adjust to the speed of the Power 5 game. Clearly, he will do everything he can to get himself ready. Whether or not Jack has the ability and talent to play at that level, is yet to be seen.

The 4-year ACU starter is expected to be eligible in 2021 and will attend spring practices, whenever those are, according to 247Sports. PJ Fleck’s 2021 recruiting class now has 17 members and ranks #28 in the nation.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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