With Tressel's blessing, Thaddeus Gibson leaves Ohio State for NFL opportunity
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer
January 06, 2010
Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerProjected as a second-rounder who needs to develop as a potential linebacker-rush end, Thaddeus Gibson is determined to impress at the pre-draft workouts.
GOING PRO
Thaddeus Gibson
Ohio State junior defensive end
6-2, 247 pounds
Euclid High graduate
2009 stats: 45 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4 sacks
2008 stats: 26 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks
2007 stats: 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack
-- Doug Lesmerises
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If Jim Tressel had asked, Thaddeus Gibson would have come back.
Instead, the Ohio State junior defensive end is headed to the NFL. The Buckeyes, though, will enjoy the return of two other top defensive players, lineman Cameron Heyward and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa.
All three made announcements on Tuesday, with Heyward, projected as a first-round pick, returning to anchor the defensive line for a team that will enter the season thinking a lot about a national title. Gibson was ready for that duty as well.
"I told Coach Tressel, 'If you tell me you want me to come back and win a national championship, I'll do it,'" Gibson said Tuesday night. "He said, 'No, it's not about me Thad, it's about you and your family.'"
Given the blessing of Tressel and co-defensive coordinators Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell, the Euclid High grad could pursue his NFL goals with a clean conscience.
"Coach Tressel said I don't owe Ohio State anything, but in actuality, I think I owe Ohio State everything," Gibson said. "To hear it from him means everything. It made the decision I made so much easier to go along with, even though I knew it was the best decision for me. So it's a wonderful feeling, but it's also kind of sad."
Gibson said he received a second-round projection in an evaluation provided by the NFL, and that Tressel would have encouraged him to return if he had been a third-rounder or lower.
Gibson's mother, Gwendolyn, battled some health problems this year. On track to graduate in June, Gibson knew the time was right for him and his family.
Playing at 247 pounds, he'd like to get to 255 if it doesn't cost him any speed, and he thinks he could run his 40 meters in the 4.4s during pre-draft workouts. He's entering the off-season believing he can turn himself into a first-rounder by April.
"He knows this is an honor and a privilege, not a right," said Gibson's older brother, Rafeale. "He wants to badly to prove himself to everyone else."
Ohio State will move on, Gibson saying that Nathan Williams, expected to replace him in the starting lineup, was already in a meeting with Heacock on Tuesday. If there's a national title in 2010, Gibson will be watching it from his dream job.
"Every time I think about it, it's like, 'wow, I'm honestly leaving those guys,'" Gibson said of Heyward and Chekwa. "To leave all that behind is a tough feeling, but I know I made the best decision for me and my family."
Gibson likely projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker, dropping into coverage as well as rushing the passer.
"He's sort of a project," said Sports Illustrated draft analyst Tony Pauline. "It may take a little bit to have some success and he's got to physically mature. If he's got that fire in his belly and he can absorb things, he'll do well."
