MOBILE, Ala. - When University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones completed his initial staff, his charges were given instructions to focus their recruiting efforts in the southeastern corner of the United States - in addition to searching for talent in the school's home state, the thought process was to find as many quality student-athletes as possible in the area stretching from New Orleans through south Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
And when national signing day rolled around, the fruits of that labor was realized. Of the 35 individuals who signed National Letters-of-Intent in February, 34 came from those areas that the Jaguar coaching staff had been working since the beginning of the fall.
The other future USA student-athlete? Well, he wasn't coming to Mobile from anywhere within the continental 48 states.
Myles Gibbon hails from Montreal, Quebec, where he has lived his whole life. "I've lived in the same house since I was born," he stated. As a child, Gibbon got his start in athletics skating because his father, John, was a hockey player. But since he never truly got into the sport, he began playing soccer. That lasted for a few years, but before he turned 10 years old his interests changed.
"The second my dad threw me into football, that was when I quit everything else," said Gibbon.
Following the equivalent of 11th grade in America, Gibbon attended Vanier College, which is a CEGEP institution. Most students attend for two or three years, as they are comparable to community colleges and are required for entrance to a Canadian university. It was after the second of three years at the school - following a season in which he set a record with 25 touchdowns and helped lead the Cheetahs to a 10-0 mark - that Gibbon found that he wanted to play football at the collegiate level.
During his final year at Vanier, he began attending camps including one hosted by NIKE and started getting phone calls from college coaches in the United States. "That's when opportunities starting opening up and I really thought I could do it," Gibbon said.
Ron Dias (pronounced DYE-as), a friend of the Gibbon family, helped get the word out about a quarterback in Canada looking to play collegiate football. He also had highlight tapes for schools that showed interest. The Jaguars first crossed paths with Gibbon at a high school camp in Toronto prior to the start of his final year at VC. Although that nearly didn't happen, as Gibbon had a change of heart at the last minute.
"I was inches away from not going," he observed. "I didn't think it was going to be great because I didn't hear that many good schools were going. My dad just told me to try it out and see what happened when I got there."
Former USA assistant coach Les Koenning was working with quarterbacks at the camp, and he immediately took a liking to Gibbon. So much so that he started implementing plays for Gibbon from the Jaguar playbook to see how he would run them. That's when the recruiting process started.
"He gave me a T-shirt and his phone number and told me that they would call me," said Gibbon. "We were on the phone with each other for about a year."
Gibbon was also being recruited by Connecticut, Louisville, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Akron. Some schools wanted him as an athlete. Some offered scholarships, others were asking him to walk on. Not only was USA offering a full scholarship to play quarterback, it could even present Gibbon the opportunity to become a starter immediately.
There came a time when a potential hitch in the process could have sent Gibbon in another direction. Koenning accepted a job at Mississippi State in December, just two months before national signing day.
"At first I was disappointed, coach Koenning was really the only member of the staff that I met at that point because I hadn't come on my visit yet," Gibbon explained. "But coach Koenning called me personally to tell me what happened, and he recommended that I keep in touch with South Alabama. He believed it was going to be a great program and had nothing but good things to say about coach Jones. He also told me that coach Gregory is a great guy, and I took his word for it.
"I still keep in touch with coach Koenning. He told me that he would love to have me wherever he went, but this was a good spot for me."
After Koenning departed, Jones and Brian Turner, the program's recruiting coordinator, continued the process with phone calls.
"We thought we may or may not have a shot, because we knew he had received several offers from Mid-American Conference schools," Jones stated. "When we brought Myles and his family in, they loved the South, so things worked out for us in the end."
"At first I was skeptical because it was a brand new program. But, my dad really believed in coach Koenning so he helped guide me here," added Gibbon. "It was really complicated to get here because of all the NCAA rules and going through the clearing house, but it ended up working out."
And so began the transition for Gibbon. First, there was the matter of living 30 hours away from home after never having spent an extensive amount of time on the road as a child. "We never truly went on vacation because of football," Gibbon recalled. "When I was little we might have gone to some places I can't really remember, but when we did travel it was never for more than a week. I was raised to be on my own, my parents never babied me, so I've been alright adjusting to being away from home."
What affected Gibbon immediately, however, was the change in climate.
"I had never been in 100 degree weather. Right now back home there is snow on the ground and it is freezing," he said. "I don't really miss it because of shoveling and all the other tasks that go with it, but it is nice to have a white Christmas.
"I think I would rather be in a place like this."
Other than the weather, the biggest difference between Mobile and Montreal according to Gibbon is the language since when he is home, most everything is done in French. But academically, Gibbon's education put him in a position to ease into the college setting in the United States. In Quebec, there are both English and French schools, and he has always attended the former. "I've always been in English schools, but no matter what grade you are in you have to learn French," he explained. "I've become one-hundred percent bilingual, which isn't a bad thing.
"A lot of people think the culture is very different, but it's not that bad. I overexaggerated a lot before coming here."
His schooling through the years, especially the last three at Vanier, helped prepare him for the university setting too.
"It hasn't been that bad because CEGEP is like an introduction to college, you are taught things that relate to this atmosphere," Gibbon said. "What's different is living on campus, fending for yourself because your mom and dad aren't there to cook your food. I've never had to do that, I always lived at home."
Where the move has affected Gibbon is in his family's ability to support him on the field. The Gibbon family has compensated for Myles' move south by travelling to Mobile for multiple games this fall, with tonight's contest against Huntingdon (Ala.) College the third they will see in person. That's a significant drop off from when he was living at home, though - not only had his mom never missed a game he played in until this fall, Gibbon's father had not even missed a practice since we was also Myles' coach growing up. Throughout the fall, Gibbon's parents have been able to bring two uncles, a cousin and his girlfriend on their different treks to Mobile.
"It's quite the task to get down here," Gibbon stated. "They listen to the games on radio and read all the updates on the web site. Right after games we'll talk on the phone and my dad will want to know everything.
"The coaches even send my dad game tape. If it were up to him they would be at every game, but they just can't do it."
Then there's the difference on the field, where Gibbon has needed to adjust to the speed of the game. Athletically, student-athletes in the USA program and opponents the Jaguars have faced this fall are better - they are "bigger, stronger and faster," according to Gibbon - than who he has been playing with and against all these years in Canada.
He's also had to learn a system that is more technical than any he played in growing up, with additional responsibilities including reading defensive coverages and making audibles. "It's probably a little more intense than back home," he stated.
Of all the changes that Gibbon has had to face this year - new city, new school, new football program - there is one misconception about another potential adjustment. On the field, the league Vanier College played in used the same rules as those in American football. The only differences between the two for Gibbons is that at home a 12th player is on the field and the field is larger.
Still, Jones has been pleased with what he has seen from Gibbon in his first year with the program. He has started each of the first six contests (although he left last week's 64-12 win over Milford (N.Y.) Academy with an injury, leaving his status for tonight's game in doubt), completing 29-of-51 attempts for 538 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Jags to a 6-0 start in their inaugural season. Gibbon has also rushed for 94 yards and two scores.
"I think he has handled it well for a true freshman," observed Jones. "Will he be better in the coming years? There's no doubt in my mind that he will. I think the speed of the game is just starting to slow down for him a little bit. You know when that happens because a quarterback starts to show he has vision of the full field. I think the first three or four games were pretty fast for Myles, and that's natural. There's not a quarterback that's going to come and just get it mentally immediately."
And according to offensive coordinator Greg Gregory, the coaching staff realizes that there is potential for Gibbon to accomplish a lot more even though he has already made significant strides this fall.
"Our whole football team has made progress since the beginning of preseason camp, but Myles is a completely different player now. He is more confident in his abilities and knows he can make some plays, you can see the maturation process taking place as we're going right now," he stated. "The best thing, though, is that Myles knows he is not even close to where he can be and where he needs to be. I try to stress that not only to him, but our whole offense. It's about winning, but our talent level has been better than the people we've been playing - whoever has the best talent usually wins the game. But it is not necessarily about that, it's about are we getting better as a football team and is each individual improving as a player? We've really been stressing that with Myles, little things that we continue to work on.
"The nice thing is that we'll finish the season early, so he'll still be out there throwing two or three times a week at least - he'll know what he has to work on - and be able to sit and study tape. I'm pleased with how he has matured so far."
There are several reasons that Gibbon has been able to produce so quickly on the collegiate level. Gregory is impressed with his competitive nature - "I'm not really sure where that comes from," Gibbon explained. "I've never been on a losing team, I hate losing. I've never been anywhere where losing has been accepted." - while Jones has been pleased with his demeanor.
"I think he has a very calm personality, that's always a good trait in a quarterback," he commented. "The other players follow him, because in game situations when things get tough he doesn't blow a fuse. He never overreacts to something bad happening. He has to learn and progress like everyone else, but that characteristic - and the fact that he cares about playing well - will help him in the future."
All parties involved believe this offseason will be an important one for Gibbon in his development. Physically, there are expectations for continued growth - he has gone from 185 to 210 pounds since arriving on campus last summer.
"Before I got here, I had never been on a strict workout program. Hopefully this offseason I'll be able to get a lot bigger, stronger and faster," said Gibbon. "Next year when I come back, I will be a completely different person."
"When he gets in the weight room this offseason, he'll be much faster and stronger, which will make him a bigger threat running the ball" added Jones. "Improvements in the passing game, that will naturally come. The offseason should really help him."
But what he does off the field will be just as important, because it will afford the opportunity not only to study what he did in the fall but to look at other players and systems to see what the coaches are expecting out of Gibbon down the road.
"This offseason will be great for him because he will be able to watch tape of guys like Matt Grothe and Grant Gregory, guys who have played in this type of system," observed Gregory. "When he watches other quarterbacks it will show him what he can improve. This year was more about getting the system in - this is what you're taught, here's what you have to do. He hasn't had a chance to really just sit and study other people and how to operate as a quarterback. He's had to do it all on the run, and he's done a great job of that. But the are little things, if you can just sit and watch game tape of other players who are a little more polished and a little further along, you can point out subtle things that they do.
"Myles knows he's not anywhere close to where he has to be to become a big-time Division I-A quarterback. He has the ability to do that, but he is not there yet."
Many players are far more interested in getting on the field and being in on the action, but the cerebral part of the game is something that appeals to Gibbon. Not just because he's the quarterback and has to bring an extensive knowledge of the offense to the huddle, but because he has experience from a different perspective.
Officially, Gibbon has served as a coach at home in the only women's professional league in the country. He got involved as a 16-year-old because his father was the head coach, helping out for four years before heading off to college. In fact, their team won a league championship and when they travelled to Texas for a game this summer Gibbon and a teammate drove over to watch.
"When my dad started doing it, I figured I might as well help. I was playing football there on different nights, so I told him I would coach his quarterbacks," he remembered. "Two years later I was handling the whole offense, I was starting to implement all the things I knew from teams I had played with. It was always fun to do, and it helped me as a player because I was teaching people what I was supposed to know."
Every little bit helps when you're making a huge transition, especially one so far from home. But make no mistake about it, Gibbon and his family are glad that he elected to become a part of the Jaguars' fledgling program.
"It wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't 30 hours away. My dad always jokes that at least I went to the States, even if I went to the furthest place possible," Gibbon said. "He's as happy as can be that I'm here. My parents don't like that I am so far from them, but they are proud that I am here."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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