photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas University football center Joe Gibson works out with the team Friday, July 15, at the Anderson Family Football Complex.

Microwaving is not an option when turning high school offensive linemen into Big 12-ready blockers. It’s purely a slow-cook. Shortcuts don’t exist.

Kansas center Joe Gibson, entering his fourth season in the program, spent his first season as a red-shirt walk-on determined to get bigger, stronger and quicker.

He started the final seven games of the 2014 season as a red-shirt freshman on scholarship. The most appropriate cheer from yell leaders urging on massive Big 12 defensive tackles playing against him went like this: “Push him back, push him back, way back!”

In 2014, Gibson played through a shoulder injury, took his lumps, learned and was fueled by signs of progress.

Even in a 66-7 loss to Baylor last season, Gibson was able to keep his head from hanging. Matched up against Bears nose tackle Andrew Billings, a fourth-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, for the second season in a row, Gibson watched film of the game, which confirmed what he felt while playing it.

“First time we played, I was getting pushed back a lot more,” Gibson said. “He was a lot stronger than me, and I was kind of young. Then watching last year, not getting pushed back as much, even getting push on him at times, and I just played better I thought.”

Just as he was developing confidence, bad luck found him.

A week later, vs. Texas Tech in Lawrence, Gibson suffered an ankle injury in the sixth game of the season and never returned. He’s working hard to put together his healthiest, best season.

“He is so consistent,” said strength and conditioning coach Je’Ney Jackson in explaining why he and his staff chose Gibson as Workout Warrior of the Week. “He’s always going to work harder than the rest of the offensive linemen. When we have competitions, defensive linemen all want to compete against him, because they know that’s the benchmark we’ve got to compete against.”

A year ago at this time, Gibson was restricted from certain lifts because his shoulder was on the mend. He recently set a personal record for most repetitions bench-pressing 225 pounds.

“He’s not naturally a guy who wants to grind you into the dirt, but he’s developing that, and that just comes with confidence,” Jackson said. “He came off the shoulder surgery (after the 2014 season), and we had to completely rebuild that upper body. As an offensive lineman, if you’re not strong, boy, it’s hard to have that confidence and have that edge. You know that big, giant dude who’s coming up against you is probably going to be stronger than you, and no matter what you do, he’s probably going to push you over or go around you, but I know he doesn’t feel that way today.”

For one thing, Gibson brings more size and strength to the trenches this year. He said he has added 20 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and weighs 310 pounds. A fourth-year junior, Gibson twice earned academic honors from the Big 12.

Coming out of Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst High, Gibson chose to come to Kansas as a walk-on, saying no to an offer from University of Pennsylvania and scholarship offers from Idaho and Western Michigan.

“Walking on made me work as hard as I could to prove I deserved a scholarship,” Gibson said. “Getting that scholarship made me want to prove I deserved it, and I worked just as hard. I think it benefited me more in the end.

“Walking on’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s not really what they tell you, it’s what you believe about yourself. Going in, if you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not going to get a scholarship, why am I even here,’ there is no point in you even being here. But then when you work as hard as you can, and you believe in yourself, it will give you a better chance to earn a scholarship. The coaches notice that and notice you getting better.”

Gibson is quick to point out that he’s not the only O-lineman getting better.

“Looking at the offensive line from last year to this year, almost everyone’s over 300 pounds now, everyone’s a lot bigger, a lot stronger, has quicker feet,” Gibson said.

Experience remains on the short side. Gibson and red-shirt sophomore Jacob Bragg are the only projected starters who were in the program before last season.

The offensive line ranked as the team’s greatest weakness a year ago, which puts all eyes on the unit heading into David Beaty’s second season as head coach. Gibson is aware of that perception and is determined to change it.

“We realize that as the team goes, we go,” Gibson said. “This is one of the best offensive-line groups I’ve been a part of. We have much better depth than last year.”

Better than last season’s O-line, yes. As good as it projects to be in 2017, no.