Gibson strives to be complete option at wide receiver

Being fast as always come easy for Shelton Gibson.

In his high school days at Cleveland Heights, he was asked to do two things. Run the go route or to the post to showcase his speed against outmatched high school defensive backs down the field.

But his biggest strength on the field could also have been one of the things holding him back from realizing his potential at the wide receiver position in college.

“When I first got here I could always get the deep ball because I was used to it. I never came back to the ball in high school. It’s something I never did and never had to do,” Gibson said.

College is a different story and it’s been a learning process for the redshirt junior. His first season on campus it wasn’t something that came to mind as much as some of the other aspects to playing the position but last year he found out the hard way. Just running by somebody wasn’t an option anymore.

Sure it worked at times, as his numbers reflect with 37 catches for 887 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first full-season as a starter, an average of 24 yards per reception. But not as much as it did in the past as the harsh reality of needing to develop his technique to be effective at this level moved to the forefront of his mind.

“I’d just blow past people all the time so when I got here I thought I’d do it all the time also,” Gibson said. “Coach (Dana) Holgorsen is teaching me that I can’t just run past everybody.”

Drops plagued Gibson at times last season as he showcased his ability to effortlessly catch the ball over his shoulder down the sideline but let intermediate passes slip through his fingers. He pinpoints the issue on focus and his head coach constantly reminds him of all the yards he left on the field last fall.

“With his big play potential getting down field he can get chunks of yards, in order to be a 1,000-yard guy, a real dude, you have to be able to make those tough catches when you are covered when the ball is coming at you,” Holgorsen said.

That is the goal of Gibson to get out of the shadow of being only perceived as a deep threat and develop his all-around game in his second year starting. That means working with jug machines and catching tennis balls every day after practice in order to work on his hands.

Gibson also has been working with new wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier on adding a physical element to his game in order to reel in some of those tough grabs that eluded him at times last year. Technique also has been a major focus in order to get to where he wants to be. That means getting low with the correct pad height and coming out of his breaks quicker to get to the football.

"You have to be able to catch the ball in critical situations," Carrier said.

He also has focused on his confidence which at times was his worst enemy earlier in his career. A dropped pass in the past meant Gibson would replay the instance over and over in his mind, now he looks at it as an opportunity to improve because mistakes will occur.

Gibson looks at some of those opportunities last year and can’t help but shake his head and wonder what might had been if he was able to corral a couple more of those throws. It’s a scenario and a feeling that he doesn’t want to experience again this year.

“Every time somebody asks me how many yards I have and I think about the plays I had where I could have easily gone over 1,000 yards. This year I don’t want any questions,” he said.

“I want to be an all-around wide receiver,” he added.

And a fast one at that.