Defensive back Deangelo Gibbs, shown during Georgia's 2018 opener against Austin Peay, played in only seven games for the Bulldogs this past season. (Philip Williams/Georgia)KNOXVILLE - Former four-star prospect DeAngelo Gibbs, a safety at Georgia the past two seasons, announced Friday evening via social media he will transfer to Tennessee.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gibbs must sit out this year but will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Although he played defense for the Bulldogs, with the Volunteers he could switch to receiver, a position he played in high school.
Gibbs recently had his name submitted into the NCAA's transfer portal, allowing other programs to contact him, and he is making the switch to one of Georgia's Southeastern Conference Eastern Division rivals.
As a Georgia freshman in 2017, Gibbs played in six games and made three tackles. This past season he appeared in seven games, none after the Bulldogs' rout of Massachusetts in mid-November, and totaled seven tackles.
Gibbs is a cousin of Tennessee safety Nigel Warrior, who will be a senior this season, and a nephew of former Vols safety Dale Carter, who played in the NFL from 1992 to 2005 and was a two-time All-Pro.
"Thank you to the great fans of the University of Georgia for your unwavering love and support," Gibbs posted on Twitter. "Thank you to the coaching and support staff that do all they can to make the players the best they can be on and off the field. To my teammates y'all have been a blessing and a brotherhood that I will never forget. Life takes us on many different journeys and I'm (grateful) for every lesson learned to this point. I am excited and I look forward to the path that lead me to my present destination. From the moment I arrived in Rocky Top I was flooded with all the wonderful memories of all the time I've spent here.
"With that being said, I am 100% committed to giving everything I have to the #VolNation. Pleased to announce, I will be attending the University of Tennessee."
Gibbs becomes the second transfer into the Tennessee program this offseason. Former Michigan defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon made the move Dec. 21, the last day of the early signing period. Unless granted a waiver, neither player will be eligible for the 2019 season.
Also, the NFL draft's early entrant deadline passed Friday, and former linebacker Quart'e Sapp was the only Vol on the list. The 6-foot-2, 223-pound Sapp, who announced last month he would turn pro, played in nine games in 2018, starting one and totaling 29 tackles.
In 2017 he played in all 12 Tennessee games, starting eight, and ranked fourth on the team with 78 tackles, including four for loss, and broke up two passes. He had 11 tackles against both Alabama and LSU and 10 against Georgia.
Vols staff member leaving
John Lilly, who is listed on the Tennessee athletic department's official website as assistant to the head coach, is reportedly leaving to become tights end coach for the Cleveland Browns.
Although the Vols had made no official announcement, multiple media outlets reported Lilly's exit on Friday.
Lilly has prior NFL experience, having served as the tight ends coach with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016.
He spent 20 seasons at the collegiate level, working at Florida State (1998-2007) and Georgia (2008-15) before joining Jeremy Pruitt for his first season as Tennessee's head coach last year.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.