photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas junior Syeed Gibbs reaches out for a catch during practice Thursday, July 24, 2025 in Lawrence.

Kansas brought in Syeed Gibbs from the portal in large part due to his experience as a nickel back. That was where he did much of his work during his one season at Georgia Tech.

On the other hand, his acclaimed 2023 season at Rhode Island, the one that garnered several FCS freshman All-American honors, was spent primarily at outside corner.

On a KU defense that is expected to feature five defensive backs far more often in 2025, that makes Gibbs, as position coach Brandon Shelby puts it, a Swiss army knife.

“He gives us that versatility that you need,” Shelby said.

It requires knowing the playbook well and communicating with his teammates, Gibbs says, and it’s a trait he has honed since he was playing high school football in Everett, Mass.

“That just comes from my coaches having the expectation and me just loving my teammates, doing what’s best for my teammates,” he said. “It gives me that energy of, ‘If they need me at linebacker, that’s what I have to go play.'”

He may not be that far off right now. As his teammate Mason Ellis, one of the favorites to play nickel this season, describes it, the nickel position at KU is something of a safety-linebacker hybrid. That’s a bit like the Hawk linebacker role the Jayhawks featured in years past.

In any event, the 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback prides himself on possessing the physicality required to come in at nickel if needed.

“You got to be smart, got to communicate, but most importantly for me — best part of my game — is you just got to be physical, man,” Gibbs said.

KU was “all along” hoping to bring in another defensive back in the spring, defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald said. The staff was impressed by Gibbs’ film, and then by his personality when he visited campus — and then found out he was even better than they expected after he arrived in Lawrence.

“He lives in the film room, and that’s what gives him a chance,” Shelby said. “He asks great questions, he takes great notes. Every once in a while at night time I go through their notebooks — he takes great notes and I expect to see that translate on Saturday.”

For Gibbs, the decision to pick the Jayhawks as his transfer destination came down to “the culture of being a pro.” Put simply, he really appreciated how strict things are at KU.

“It gets stressful sometimes (in the portal),” he said, “but the biggest part was just trying to find something that suits me as a player, and what KU brought to the table, it was amazing.”

The summer conditioning program in Lawrence was jarring for Gibbs on one front — he couldn’t believe how humid it was Kansas — and delightful on another: “It’s just amazing just seeing guys just loving the process of lifting weights, so that was good.”

More recently, he’s made it through fall camp by strengthening bonds with his new teammates.

“I’m an older guy, too, so you never really get used to camp,” he said. “The only way you make it through camp is by your brothers, so locker-room talks, meals, and just having fun on the field, running around, celebrating, that’s how you create culture, and that’s how it’s going to be in the game.”

Head coach Lance Leipold said Gibbs missed some time but has put together strong practice showings since. He’s been competing with Ellis and Laquan Robinson at nickel.

“Syeed’s great,” Ellis said. “He’s a great player, he’s smart, he’s fast, he’s physical.”

At corner, Gibbs fits into a broader picture with players like D.J. Graham II, Jalen Todd, Austin Alexander and Jahlil Hurley. When he’s playing corner, he adds, he has to make sure to warn his teammates that he’s no longer playing nickel so that KU can make sure it gets its nickel in.

“Having experience playing nickel and corner, just being a versatile player, just doing whatever my team needs me to do,” Gibbs said. “That’s why I’m here, that’s what I’m called to do, just fit any role that’s possible for me.”

photo by: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Georgia Tech defensive back Syeed Gibbs (16) strips the ball from Georgia wide receiver Dominic Lovett (6) causing a fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ga.