Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs reveals reason for choosing the Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama landed several high-profile additions out of the transfer portal this offseason, but running back Jahmyr Gibbs may be the best of the bunch. The former top-100 recruit had tremendous success during his two years at Georgia Tech, and now he’s sharing an offensive backfield with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.

On Friday afternoon, the rising junior spoke to the media for the first time since arriving in Tuscaloosa back in January. That means it was the first opportunity to ask Gibbs why he ultimately chose to transfer to Alabama. In some ways, his response was similar to the one we got from Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton last week.

“I think it was the best opportunity for me to better myself,” Gibbs told local reporters. “My teammates (at Georgia Tech), I love them. I still talk to them everyday. It’s a great group of guys, but I just made the best decision for me.”

Not a member of BamaInsider? Join today and get one year of premium access for just $1!

Gibbs played in 19 games for the Yellow Jackets over the last two seasons.

During that time, he ran for 1,206 yards and eight touchdowns on 232 carries. He also had 768 yards and five touchdowns on 59 receptions as a pass-catcher. Plus, he averaged 25.6 yards as a kick returner and even took one of his 31 returns back for a touchdown.

That’s the type of dynamic playmaker Alabama is getting in the do-it-all running back.

Transferring schools does create situations where you have to get to know new teammates and new coaches. It’s a different environment, and that can sometimes take time to adjust. For Gibbs, it wasn’t a tough transition at all. In fact, it didn’t take long for him to feel like he’d been at Alabama all along.

“Yeah, it’s been great. They welcomed me with open arms,” he said of his transition to Tuscaloosa. “Like, it feels like I’ve already been there. The first two months, it seems like I’ve been there two years. They welcomed me. Me, (Jordan) Battle, Marco (DeMarcco Hellams) and BB (Brian Branch) all watch some movies together. Me, Trey (Sanders) and Jase (McClellan), Roydell (Williams), we hang out every day. So with them, it’s just been a great experience.”

That warm embrace from new teammates has obviously helped Gibbs. Even dating back to the spring, he’s felt like a natural sharing the same backfield with Young. Not only does he provide a playmaking safety net for his quarterback, but he also provides the run game with a true home run threat.

Part of that seamless transition could be the familiarity with the culture. Apparently, Georgia Tech isn’t too far off in that regard. In some ways, that makes sense when you consider that Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins was on Alabama’s staff during Nick Saban’s first season.

“It’s not really a huge difference because there was a lot of coaches that was at Alabama that’s at GT right now,” Gibbs said. “They brought that culture there, so it’s basically the same thing.”

Granted, Georgia Tech hasn’t seen that culture translate to its win-loss column, but it might’ve helped Alabama’s by getting Gibbs ready to come to Tuscaloosa. Now, it’s time for him to contribute to one of the best backfields college football has to offer.