Tennessee Vol Rickey Gibson Uses NIL Earnings to Donate to Former High School

Tennessee Volunteer Rickey Gibson used his NIL earnings to donate to his former high school.

Tennessee’s Rickey Gibson (1) at the first University of Tennessee spring football practice, Friday, March 7, 2025. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Volunteer Rickey Gibson used his NIL earnings to donate to his former high school.

The Tennessee Volunteers have had a chaotic offseason up to this point. Multiple players left the roster in what many would deem unexpected fashion, but some good news hit the timeline on Thursday. Rickey Gibson provided his former high school with a $5,000 check from his NIL earnings to help the football program out.

Gibson was a meaningful contributor on defense for the Volunteers last season as a true sophomore. However, he appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman, so the Volunteers have benefited from him being on the roster since he got there. In 2024, he finished with 32 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Tennessee CB Rickey Gibson donated $5,000 from his NIL earnings to his alma mater, Hewitt-Trussville High School (AL), to support the football team🧡

(via @HuskyFast)

Read: https://t.co/oOuafqlLjC pic.twitter.com/6IXlhfXKvJ

— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) May 15, 2025

Coming out of high school, Gibson was rated as a four-star prospect, the 289th-best player in the country, the 31st-best player in the country and the 19th-best player in state of Alabama, according to composite rankings. Tennessee was one of the first SEC schools to offer Gibson.

Now heading into this third year with the program, many are expecting big things out Gibson on Tennessee's defense.

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