South Carolina getting ‘freak of an athlete’ in incoming lineman Jesus Gibbs

It comes about seven seconds in, just before the screen turns to footage of run-stuffs and pancake blocks.

Jesus Gibbs, the 6-foot-3, 283-pound soon-to-be South Carolina lineman, streaks free toward the end zone, looks over one shoulder and then the next – and finds the football as his feet stay in bounds. An ever-so-graceful touchdown for Potomac High School.

“A catch that probably no one else on our team would ever make,” said Keith King. “And we had good receivers.”

King is the recently retired coach of Potomac, a school located in Dumfries, Virginia. This past season he used Gibbs as his offensive guard, defensive tackle and – for one magical play that can be found at the beginning of Gibbs’ highlight reel – tight end.

“One catch, one touchdown,” King said.

No, Gibbs wasn’t recruited to become Hayden Hurst’s replacement at USC. Coach Will Muschamp – for now anyway – has better options at the TE position. But don’t let that diminish the above example of Gibbs’ athleticism.

The big man can move.

“He’s a freak of an athlete,” King said. “He runs like a 4.7 40 (yard dash). He’s the most athletic big kid I’ve been around in a long time. He’s definitely quick enough to pull and get out in front of people. Extremely athletic.

“Defensively, he’s explosive getting off the ball, capable of bringing down running backs. He’s just an athlete.”

Gibbs committed to Carolina’s 2018 recruiting class last July, choosing the Gamecocks over the likes of Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The three-star prospect will begin his college career on defense. It’s there where he made all-region as a senior for Potomac.

“I told him what’s going to separate him is his work ethic,” King said. “I said, ‘You’re going to go down there and work on the thing that the coaches tell you – your get-off, your hand placement, things like that.’”

When Gibbs arrived at Potomac, he was low on playing experience and had a raw skill set.

“But when he was a freshman,” King said, “I told him he could be a Division I player. He said, ‘Coach, I haven’t played much.’ I said, ‘Son, it doesn’t matter. With that athletic ability, trust me you’re a Division I football player.’

“He may not always use the best technique all the time, and that’s probably where he’ll have to improve, just the finer parts.”

King, as defensive coordinator or head coach, was on the Potomac sideline from 2010-17. He oversaw the growth of Donte Wilkins, a Potomac defensive tackle who went on to become a captain and two-year starter at Virginia.

King said Wilkins has worked out with Gibbs.

“Donte said he has unbelievable ability,” King said. “It’s just a matter of him getting in a really good explosive stance and doing certain things and being repetitive with that and not just let the athletic ability do the work for him. “

But when that ability shines through? Special things can happen.

“If we would have had a school full of linemen,” King said, “he would have played tight end for us. You can down-block, get him out in the flats, he could just run people over, out-run people and just make plays for us.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2018 at 2:01 PM.