Tyler Gibson had never met AJ Blazek in person, but the former Charlotte offensive lineman got a good feeling while catching up with UCF’s new offensive line coach.
So much so that when the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Georgia native finally caught up with him, he was sold on making UCF his new home.
“The biggest thing about my commitment to UCF was definitely the relationship that AJ and I are trying to build,” said Gibson. “You expect with a whole bunch of chaos going on with the NIL (name, image and likeness), that there aren’t many relationships that go into college football.
“After talking with him and meeting him in person, I’m getting a really good vibe from him.”
Gibson signed with the Knights earlier this week after entering the transfer portal following his second season at Charlotte. He appeared in 16 games for the 49ers, starting five games at right tackle, while taking part in 484 offensive snaps during his time at the Group of Five school.
Before that, Gibson spent two seasons closer to his home in Alpharetta, playing at Georgia Tech, where he appeared in four games before transferring to Charlotte.
Gibson picked up a thing or two when it came to his second go-around in the transfer portal.
“This is a business. I just feel like you have to have a representative behind you in this world of college football now,” he said. “My father and I decided after this past season to get a representative and I put everything in his hands. I didn’t want to have to worry because there’s a lot of worrying in the portal. You could get lost and that’s something obviously I didn’t want to happen.”
It wasn’t long before Gibson found himself inside UCF’s football offices, meeting with coach Scott Frost.
“He’s very cool — calm, cool and collected,” said Gibson. “He understands what my situation is and what I’m trying to accomplish. I loved how secure everybody felt being in the building because they were very welcoming.”
Meet the new Knights players from transfer portal
While much of his time at Charlotte was spent playing tackle, Gibson is more than willing to play whatever position the Knights need him on the offensive line.
“I’ve gone all around the offensive line in all my years in college football, so it doesn’t matter where you put me. I’ll play any position,” Gibson explained. “If I’m going to be a tackle, cool. I know what it’s like to be in space. If you want to put in as a guard, cool. I’ll be the most aggressive guard ever. That’s just my mentality. I just want to be on the field and play.”
He already has some familiarity with the roster, having been teammates with UCF defensive tackle Horace Lockett Jr. (Georgia Tech) and receiver Duane Thomas Jr. (Charlotte). Both should be instrumental in making the transition as smooth as possible.
“Getting into the locker room won’t be such a challenge with getting to know everybody,” Gibson said. “That’s going to be a helpful thing going into that locker room.”
While he hasn’t met new transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III, Gibson is eager to build a relationship with his new teammate. That includes getting into the film room and studying the tendencies of the dual-threat quarterback.
“I’m going to fight for my quarterback, that’s something that’s always been my philosophy because that’s something that I’ve had to learn,” said Gibson. “If you’re not going to protect the quarterback, you’re not going to play, that’s just plain and simple.
“You can miss a run block here and there, but if you miss a pass block and get your quarterback killed, that’s the real mistake.”
Sports run deep in the Gibson family, with his brother Zach having played quarterback at Georgia Tech, Georgia State and FAU. His father, Michael, played high school football and his mother, Linda, was a basketball player at West Georgia College.
“[My father] is obsessed with football. There’s not a day, minute or hour that he won’t want to talk about football,” said Gibson. “My mom’s also obsessed. Within the Gibson family, it’s really an obsession. That’s how we approach it and treat it.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
