Four-Star Offensive Lineman Reilly Gibbons to Transfer to USF

As first reported by Rodney Page of the Tampa Bay Times and later confirmed by USF, Stanford offensive tackle Reilly Gibbons will be transferring to USF. Gibbons, formerly a local standout at St. Petersburg Catholic, will enroll at USF in January and is seeking a waiver for immediate eligibility.

Gibbons was given four stars out of high school by both Rivals and 247 and boasted a long list of offers including Florida, Florida State, Auburn and Oklahoma. He originally signed with Miami before changing his mind near National Signing Day and joining the Cardinal. According to his father, he never actually enrolled at Stanford and opted to join the Bulls to get closer to home.

Regardless of whether or not he's eligible to play in 2015, this is a huge get for Willie Taggart. The Bulls' offensive line is still very much a work in progress and will lose three starters after this season, including left tackle Darrell Williams. For Taggart's offense to reach its full potential, USF needs athletes on the O-line, and Gibbons is probably the best caliber of athlete they could reasonably hope to bring in.

In USF's official announcement, Taggart said the following:

"Reilly is a big, strong, athletic and very intelligent offensive lineman who fits the mold of our program and the kind of power offense we want to run perfectly. He is a very bright young man and another great Bay Area talent that we are thrilled to welcome to our program. We are excited to see what he can do when he joins our program in January."

You can see a brief highlight reel of Gibbons at St. Pete Catholic here.

Welcome home, Reilly!