Transfer linebacker Jack Gibbens fitting right in with Gophers

With a bachelor's degree in the double major of accounting and finance in hand, Jack Gibbens left Abilene Christian University last winter ready for a challenge. No, he wasn't off to start a career at a Big Four accounting firm. Instead, he still had some football business to finish.

"Everybody on an FCS school wants to prove they can play at this level,'' Gibbens said.

This level is Football Bowl Subdivision, and Gibbens, a three-year starter at linebacker for Abilene Christian, a Football Championship Subdivision program, joined the Gophers as a graduate transfer and wants to show he belongs. He had 258 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in four seasons with the Wildcats. Now, he's aiming to bolster a Gophers linebacker group that took its lumps in 2020.

"They were looking to add depth and experience in the linebacker room,'' Gibbens said of the Gophers coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. "There's a bunch of guys in there who are really talented but really young. We had a ton of guys who had great springs, and we're going to play a lot of guys at that spot.''

The Gophers' gain at linebacker was Abilene Christian's loss, and Gibbens' defensive coordinator with the Wildcats, Clint Brown, believes Minnesota is getting an outstanding player.

"He was a guy who didn't ever want to come off the field,'' said Brown, formerly the defensive coordinator at South Dakota State. "He loved practice, and you never had to worry about him showing up and being down. He was a really good vocal leader, too, which comes pretty easy when you have the work ethic. When you put that work in, people are going to listen to you.''

During Saturday's practice, the fourth of training camp and the first open to media members, Gibbens was working with the Gophers first-team defense, often between Mariano Sori-Marin and Braelen Oliver.

"He fits perfectly with us — the program, the culture, the system,'' Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "He's a really, really, really good football player.''

Rossi was impressed with how Gibbens played last year in Abilene Christian's three games against FBS opponents in Texas-El Paso, Army and Virginia. He had eight tackles against Army and seven tackles, including two for loss and one sack, against Virginia.

"Playing in those games will make me feel like it's not as big of a jump,'' said Gibbens, who's from Bulverde, Texas, about 25 miles north of San Antonio.

With the Gophers, Gibbens is lending his voice of experience, helping Sori-Marin set a tone for the linebacker group.

"Mariano is the leader of our defense, and he does a great job with that,'' Gibbens said. "I just kind of try to jump in and support him in that role and help the young guys. But they're helping me because I'm the new guy here.''

The new guy brings a 6-4, 245-pound frame, but it's not only that length that makes Gibbens effective, according to Brown. His football smarts stand out.

"His biggest attribute is he knew what his weaknesses were and played to them,'' Brown said. "It's like he says, 'I might be matched up with someone who's got more speed than me, but I'm going to make sure I get my hands on this guy.' He has a very good grasp of 'this may not be a strength of mine. I've got to play to my strength to make sure I cover up my weakness.' ''

That approach should mesh well with Rossi's approach of stressing consistency.

"He's a genius, and he demands that detail out of us,'' Gibbens said of Rossi. "No matter how small the drill, he wants it done perfect every time. That's been huge for me, taking every opportunity to get better. … I feel like I've got a good grasp on the defense.''