It wasn’t the most in-depth assessment offered by Colorado’s Quentin Gibson.
Still, when asked the difference between high school — where Gibson routinely put up video game numbers — and his first year in the CU football program, the second-year receiver was equally obvious and on-point.
“They move a lot faster,” Gibson said of the Division I defenders tasked with tracking him down.
The thing is, Gibson can move pretty fast, too.
Gibson showed flashes of his sizeable athletic ability last year, particularly as a returner on special teams. With some of the growing pains of adjusting to college life behind him, Gibson is vying for a role in the receiver rotation while making plans to be a more dangerous asset in the Buffaloes’ return game.
“Just take advantage of everything they give to me,” Gibson said. “Every opportunity, try to make a play. I wouldn’t say (last year) was humbling, because I wasn’t getting the ball before my senior year (of high school). When I’m not on the field, I’m able to watch the people thatap playing. Just learning from them.
“I’m going to show you all a lot more than last year. That was just a glimpse.”
By his own admission, Gibson said digesting the playbook last year was a challenge. Thatap nothing out of the norm for first-year players, yet this year Gibson was challenged to learn an entirely new playbook featuring several more chapters. A year of experience has increased Gibson’s wisdom accordingly, though, and absorbing the voluminous tome that explains new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense hasn’t been difficult so far.
“Last year, I had a little trouble with learning the plays first year in. It was hard for me,” Gibson said. “This year, coming in, itap normal. The Go-Go offense is great. There’s about 800 plays.”
After biding his time at North Crowley (Texas) High School, Gibson flourished as a senior while helping his squad win the Class 6A state championship. Gibson recorded 181 receiving yards and three touchdowns on just seven receptions in the title game, finishing the season with 2,009 yards and 36 touchdown receptions. Gibson added a pair of rushing touchdowns, scored another on a punt return, and even threw a 74-yard touchdown in the state playoffs.
At 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, Gibson didn’t make an immediate splash with the Buffs but still teased some of that prolific versatility. Gibson ranked second in the Big 12 in overall kickoff return yards (597), though that bulk total was at least partially attributable to how many points the Buffs surrendered (thus necessitating kickoffs). More encouragingly, Gibson ranked second in the Big 12 in kickoff return average at 23.9, with a long of 46 yards.
Gibson averaged just 4.7 yards on 15 receptions (71 total yards) and added two rushing attempts for nine yards.
It was just a taste, no doubt. But Gibson plans to make a much bigger impact this season. And to help CU’s receivers make life easier for Julian Lewis, the Buffs’ talented but unproven young quarterback.
“(Lewis) is continuing to grow every day,” Marion said. “He’s still a young kid. He still has a lot of growth to do. He’s not going to be a final product year one. But he’s doing a really good job of being the same guy, consistent every day, and his teammates are respecting him for it.”
