Ibe-lieve

[MHS831]

J.T. IBE:  CAMP FODDER OR THE REASON WE DID NOT DRAFT A SAFETY?

So you may be wondering where this JT Ibe signing came from.  Or you may not, but if you have read to this point, you are now. The important thing is this--remember, we like athletes. That has been the MO for the entire offseason.  In fact, we drafted 2 Gamecocks and signed a third in one off season.  Here is how that happened, but if pro day workouts are your thing, you are going to love JT IBE.

MARCH 24, 2021 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCK PRO DAY

It was Wednesday, in Columbia, SC for the Gamecock pro day. There were six General Managers in attendance (Bills, Broncos, Packers, Titans, Cardinals, and Dolphins) and 2 head coaches-- Mike Vrabel (with his GM) and Matt Rhule, of the Carolina Panthers. 

JAYCEE HORN:  Horn does what Horn does. 

• He runs a 4.37, benches 225 19 times, a 41.5 inch vertical, and has an 11.1 broad jump.  Studsmanship earned.  Rhule likey.

SHI SMITH: Smith would also catch Matt Rhule's attention that day, obviously. More of a gamer than a workout warrior, but he has a solid day as well:

• Shi Smith runs a 4.43, does not bench, a 36 inch vertical, and a 10.3 broad jump.  His hands are great in passing drills. 

Good trip, right?   Not so fast. 

JT IBE: Among the 14 players is JT Ibe, a S on the Gamecock roster the year before who had been invited--a Free Safety.  Since we drove all this way, Rhule thought, let's see the rest of them.

• Ibe runs a 4.5, (good for a free safety), and posts a 42 inch vertical, and has an 11.3 broad jump.  He did not bench, but none of the pre-2020 players did.  He is 5'10.5" and weighed in at 194. 

APRIL 6, 2021

Less than 2 weeks later, JT Ibe signs with the Carolina Panthers.  Based on these numbers and the fact that we passed over some FS candidates, I am not so sure that they think Ibe is camp fodder.

https://247sports.com/college/south-carolina/Article/South-Carolina-Gamecocks-football-Pro-Day-results-2021-163024404/

[DaveThePanther2008]

Wouldn't that be a steal.  Especially since we are in dire need of a FS.

My non-draftee favorite going into camp.

[kungfoodude]

98% likelihood he is camp fodder. Not a bad guy to bring in, however.

They definitely value athleticism, which I like. We just don't want to go full Al Davis. Never go full Al Davis.

[NAS]

31 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

98% likelihood he is camp fodder. Not a bad guy to bring in, however.

They definitely value athleticism, which I like. We just don't want to go full Al Davis. Never go full Al Davis.

Al Davis overdraftes for athleticism in 1st round. It’s exactly what you want to look for in an undrafted rookie. At least there is hope they may be able to developers him into a future contributor 

[rayzor]

I don't know that I'm a Ibe-liever yet, but I'm hopeful. Thanks for pointing this out. You might be onto something. I hope you are.

[45catfan]

Eh, they have enough JAGS vying for the FS spot that they are hoping one of them will shake out of the bunch to be an effective starter.   There were too many holes to fill this offseason and if FS is the last one to be occupied by a stopgap, then the front office did about as good as we could have hoped for.

Edited May 7, 2021 by 45catfan

[ForJimmy]

Ibe, Robinson, Hartsfield, and possibly SOT or Pride being converted. We have several young options with some actually solid CBs in Horn, Jackson, and Bouye shaky FS play won’t hurt us as bad as it did in the past...

[TheCasillas]

I thought Jeremy chinn was our FS?

[kungfoodude]

27 minutes ago, 45catfan said:

Eh, they have enough JAGS vying for the FS spot that they are hoping one of them will shake out of the bunch to be an effective starter.   There were too many holes to fill this offseason and if FS is the last one to be occupied by a stopgap, then the front office did about as good as we could have hoped for.

Yeah, I think a lot of what we are doing is just throwing poo against the wall to see if it will stick but being selective about the poo that we are throwing. If we snag a couple of cheap starters from the bunch of offseason moves, it will be a solid strategy.

[L-TownCat]

18 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

I thought Jeremy chinn was our FS?

Free Safety plays center field, Strong Safety plays in the box.  Chinn would be best utilized as a run supporting, blow you up in the box safety than a center fielder lurking for the INT. (IMO)

[TheCasillas]

11 minutes ago, L-TownCat said:

Free Safety plays center field, Strong Safety plays in the box.  Chinn would be best utilized as a run supporting, blow you up in the box safety than a center fielder lurking for the INT. (IMO)

Yesterday it was reported that we are using him at FS via our coaching staff.

[Klepto2klub]

27 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

Yesterday it was reported that we are using him at FS via our coaching staff.

Where?

[TheCasillas]

2 minutes ago, Klepto2klub said:

Where?

https://www.carolinahuddle.com/topic/169836-joe-person-live-qa/

[GamecockSmitty4]

Don't get your hopes up for Ibe. He was nothing special at SC and didn't see anything that made me think he was even a low level NFL guy. 

I'll pull for him as a former Gamecock and a Panther but don't have high expectations.