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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
Steve Sarkisian and Texas secured a commitment from Jerrick Gibson, the top-ranked running back in the 2024 class, on Saturday.
Gibson (No. 29 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300), who also considered Georgia, Tennessee, Miami and Florida, would be the second ESPN 300 running back to sign with the Longhorns in as many years after Edgewater High School (Florida) product Cedric Baxter Jr. (No. 30 overall, No. 3 RB) in 2023.
Gibson committed while on his official visit to Austin this weekend and he also took official visits to Georgia and Miami earlier this month. The Longhorns, who signed the third-best class in ESPN’s 2023 rankings, received pledges from their first two ESPN 300 prospects for 2024 within the past week — Smithson Valley High School (Texas) wide receiver Freddie Dubose (No. 153 overall in 2024) on June 18 and Gibson.
In nine games last season for IMG Academy (Florida), the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Gibson ran for 608 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
Texas’ run game averaged 188.2 yards last season — fourth in the Big 12 — behind its two top rushers, Bijan Robinson (1,580 yards, 18 TDs) and Roschon Johnson (554 yards, five TDs).
Robinson was drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons while Johnson was taken in the fourth round (115th overall) by the Chicago Bears in April.