It’s not often you see a college football athlete return to their school right after they commit elsewhere, especially not in the SEC. However, after getting injured at his previous pit, Mike Elko’s newly transferred DB is heading back to Knoxville and the Tennessee Vols this spring to fulfill the promise that he made to his mama: to complete his degree.

“I made a promise to my mom that I would graduate with my degree,” Rickey Gibson III said of unfinished business. “So, I’ve been trying to do that. Actually, I’m still at Tennessee trying to get my degree in information science, so I’m trying to do both. I got Texas A&M classes and Tennessee classes, and I should be graduating in May.”

This is a rare occurrence. Maybe the first of its own. You may come across a couple of transfer graduates like Joe Burrow or Bo Nix. But coming to a rival college just a month later after transferring is never heard of before. Rickey staying back at Tennessee for a full extra semester just to finish his degree in IT is a pretty unique ‘family-first’ move.

Regardless, Texas A&M Aggies DB Ricky Gibson’s story is one for the books. He went from a rising star at Tennessee to dealing with an injury snub. In 2024, he was absolutely crushing it for the Vols, racking up about around 32 tackles and showing everyone he could hang with the best in the SEC. But then, the 2025 season opener against Syracuse turned into a graveyard tragedy.

Just 19 snaps into his season, he went down with a really scary left arm and upper-body grave injury that pretty much halted his season before it even really started. Even though it’s a big-time blow, he used that time to heal up and take a redshirt year to keep his eligibility alive and sound.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The decision to leave Tennessee wasn’t just about the injury, though. The coaching staff there went through some big changes. Very unusual from Tennessee’s side. Since the guys who recruited and coached him like Willie Martinez were moving on, Rickey felt it was time to find the green pasture elsewhere. He hit the transfer portal back in last month and quickly became the top target for Texas A&M.

Mike Elko really needed a lockdown corner to replace NFL draft-bound Will Lee III. And Ricky seems to fit that elite mold perfectly. Now, he’s joining a secondary in College Station that’s looking to be one of the best in the country, at least the best in the SEC on paper.

Looking ahead, Rickey’s expected to be 100% healthy and ready to roll by the time spring practice starts with the Aggies. He still has two years of eligibility left. He’s already talking about building something special alongside guys like Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey. The most intense part of this whole story is definitely circled on the calendar for late 2026. On November 14th, Tennessee has to travel down to College Station to play the Aggies at Kyle Field. It’s the ultimate unfinished academic business story of the year.

Not only him, even Mike Elko has unfinished spring business to address.

Mike Elko puts the $1.2 billion industry on the spot and demands accountability

Mike Elko recently spoke with On3 about a big problem in college football. The thing that is bothering the head honcho is that, despite this sport making a lot of money, no single person is fully in charge.

“Put somebody in charge,” Elko demanded. “It’s a $1.2B industry with not a singular voice in charge of it making decisions for the betterment of college football. Until we get that we are gonna continue to flounder in some of these areas…”

Basically, he thinks the sport feels unorganized because there isn’t one strong leader making decisions for everyone.

Elko also said that without real leadership, nothing will truly change. He doubled down: “At some point we’re gonna have to have somebody who can make rules regarding the betterment of college football and enforcement of rules. Until we get that, I think we’re all at risk of this thing not lasting like we want it to last.”

What he means is that it’s not enough to just talk about problems. There needs to be someone who can actually create rules and make sure people follow them. Right now, different conferences mostly govern themselves, which can make things messy and inconsistent.

Coaches have talked about issues like the confusing schedule, players transferring too often, and whether athletes should as treated more like professionals. But according to Elko, the sport won’t truly fix any of that unless it puts one vigorous leader in charge of the complete game. Until then, college football may keep struggling with these same problems.