Like most veteran football players, Jay Gibson has learned how to take care of his body over the years.
And at this point, there have been a lot of years.
As a seasoned (collegiate) pro entering his seventh season of college football, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga tight end has learned there are times when he doesn’t have to compete in every single drill, instead passing those responsibilities to some of his younger, inexperienced teammates in the position group.
“Those pads are popping today!” Gibson proclaimed at a recent practice for the Mocs, who began their spring work two weeks ago.
The former McCallie standout from Cleveland, Tennessee, has seen a lot during his time with the UTC football program, having been there since Rusty Wright took over as head coach ahead of the 2019 season. Their relationship goes back even further, though, to when Wright — then an assistant at Georgia State — was recruiting Gibson, then an underclassman at McCallie.