The dark days are finally over for Jahsxiah Gibson, who was still fighting a different battle amid Allen High School’s recent success. Despite repping his high school, the defensive back received zero offers on the table. But on a brighter note, Gibson reached a long-awaited milestone and penned a note of gratitude. 

“#AGTG in the Highest! I’m beyond grateful for every message, call, DM, and opportunity that’s come my way. I don’t take any of it lightly. To every Coach and Recruiter who has reviewed my film, spoken my name in rooms I haven’t sat in yet, and shown interest in me as a player and a young man, thank you,” wrote Gibson on X.

A poster featuring the high school athlete followed the tweet with the logos of the programs that put out offers for him. In total, more than fifteen programs have shown interest in Gibson. Some of them are HPU Yellow Jackets, Sterling College Warriors, WWU-Owls, and Tabor College Bluejays. 

The 5’9” defensive back of the 2026 class went without offers even though he caught the spotlight in high school. Gibson carries three honors in his bag: State Farm Player of the Week, Defensive Back of the Week, and Dave Campbell Play of the Week. While his list of accolades was impressive, his physical metrics began to tell the story of why over a dozen programs suddenly came calling.

He came up with a 40-yard dash (4.6 seconds) that measures straight-line speed. A 4.6 is a solid time for a linebacker or bigger defender, showing he has enough speed to chase plays sideline to sideline and stay involved in coverage.

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Gibson’s shuttle time, which is 4.47 seconds, shows his short-area quickness and change of direction. This is an important stat for defenders, and a 4.47 indicates good lateral balance and his ability to react quickly. Along with lower body strength, the high school athlete has shown some upper body strength with a 245-pound bench press. 

Besides, the 405-pound squat highlights his lower-body and core strength. This is a big-boy number at the high school or early college level, and proof that he can run powerfully through tackles. Now, what will the high school athlete bring to the table as a defensive back? According to MaxPreps, Gibson totaled 54 tackles and 32 solo tackles, averaging 3.9 tackles per game in high school. 

So, even after putting up a satisfactory performance, athletes going unnoticed while coming out of high school is not a rare scenario. For example, Aaron Rodgers had no FBS offers out of high school in California. Gibson’s good news came days after sharing an emotional note. 

Allen High athlete’s tale of turning disappointment into motivation

In reality, it’s demotivating for high school athletes not to be pursued by any college. After all, fresh out of high school, they look forward to their college football journey to take their future dreams a step ahead. But in Gibson’s case, he battled out any negative feelings and rather derived strength from this phase. And in the process, he learned how to listen to the seniors who walked the same path.

“I am not ashamed of my journey. My life will be a testimony,” the high school defensive back wrote on February 16. “But if I could offer a word of advice to any freshman, sophomore, or junior athlete in high school, it would be to just listen, bro. All them adults in your life not just talking to talk. They been here longer. They done bumped they head already. They trying to save you from doing the same thing.”

Definitely, Gibson failed to find himself a Division I offer and has received offers only from Division III programs. For Gibson, these Division III offers are a crucial first step toward future success.

The most important step will be to produce strong game film and keep improving his stats, no matter where he lands. Only then can the high school athlete attract interest from blue-blooded programs in the transfer portal. Will Jahsxiah Gibson be able to land in a Division I program in the future?