Jayden Gibson ASU Postgame Interview 9-2-23
Oklahoma Sooners WR Jayden Gibson meets the press after OU's 73-0 win over Arkansas State on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Transcript
00:00 >> You said that after that touchdown catch, you went up and said that was for
00:02 the spring game.
00:03 >> Yeah. >> Did that drop kind of stick with you
00:05 over the last year?
00:05 >> I don't forget any drops, bro.
00:08 People always wanna talk about drops, drops, but I don't forget any drops.
00:11 And you know what I'm saying?
00:13 I don't really get into social media and all that stuff and what but
00:15 I see what people say about me all the time over the past 365 days.
00:19 I was 17 at the time when all that started, just turned 18.
00:22 So you can't ignore it.
00:24 People on Twitter, people on Instagram, under my posts, all that kind of stuff.
00:28 I don't forget none of that stuff, man.
00:30 I remember it all and you can either use it, be a hateful person and
00:34 let it bring you down and affect you or you could learn to be a positive person.
00:38 Just go harder every day.
00:39 Like every time I see some negative stuff said about me,
00:40 I just go back to my brothers in the facility and tell them like,
00:43 you see what they're saying about me, you see what they're saying about us?
00:45 Like let's go prove them wrong today at practice.
00:47 Like let's go prove them wrong today in meetings, you know what I'm saying?
00:50 And that's not a mentality I feel like I always had here at OU, but
00:53 I got it now, that's what's important.
00:54 So just keep rolling for real.
00:56 >> Can you take us through that touchdown grab?
00:58 Kind of going up and getting it and bobbling it and bringing it down?
01:01 >> Really, it was just go up and make a play.
01:03 It ain't too much like, I feel like a lot of the time, especially last year,
01:07 I was really just didn't have, I was kind of scared to go up there and do what I do.
01:11 I'm a big play guy and that's what opens up everything else for me.
01:14 I feel like my game, everybody who guard me got to be scared of the big play and
01:17 that's how I'm gonna eat on the little play, you know what I'm saying?
01:20 That's how I'm gonna get my little, little game, little game, little game,
01:23 big play.
01:23 So really it was just A, it was an option route.
01:28 He was bailing, cover three, he was looking like, I'm pretty sure it was a blitz.
01:31 Some kind of hot, that's what we had studied this week.
01:33 If the corner is pressed and then bailed, then most of the time it was interior
01:37 backer shooting, like a three hot cover, something like that.
01:39 So once I realized that, I'm like, I gotta go quick.
01:42 I gotta allow Jackson to be able to make a quick decision.
01:45 So I'm like, I'm just gonna take the fade.
01:46 I don't think he can jump on me.
01:47 I don't think he can stop me from getting the ball.
01:49 And he actually did make a good play on the ball.
01:51 He really hit it.
01:52 He really got his hand in there and hit it.
01:53 But at that point, I was already running high cuz I had already made a play.
01:58 So at that point,
01:58 I was like there wasn't nothing to stop me from getting in that end zone in there.
02:01 You know what I'm saying?
02:02 >> How proud are you of just that entire room, wide receiver room?
02:04 >> Receiver room?
02:05 I'm extremely proud.
02:06 I'm so glad you asked me about that.
02:08 Cuz another thing that I've seen on social media is,
02:10 what are the receivers gonna do?
02:11 What are the receivers gonna do?
02:12 What are the receivers gonna do?
02:13 Receivers had a great day.
02:15 Nick Anderson, I'm pretty sure he led in receiving.
02:18 And Drew, first drive of the game, big play.
02:20 Myself, big play.
02:21 Gavin Freeman, he speak for himself.
02:23 You know what I'm saying?
02:24 LV had some good catches.
02:25 You know what I'm saying?
02:26 I feel like it was really spread out.
02:28 And I feel like a lot of the time, based on what people seen from us last year,
02:30 they didn't think that we would be able to have a fruitful offense that has six,
02:35 seven receivers.
02:36 But we can, cuz we got the talent, and we got the coaches, and
02:39 we got the game plan.
02:40 So as long, and this is only a taste, this is the beginning.
02:44 The receivers, we always knew we could do this.
02:45 But sometimes I don't even know who else,
02:48 I don't know if anyone else thought we could do this.
02:49 You know what I'm saying?
02:50 We could really, everybody could eat.
02:52 I was talking to the ones, we call ourselves on the left side,
02:55 the one receivers.
02:56 I was talking to me, Andreo, LV.
02:58 I'm like, bro, I don't think it's nobody cover all three of us in one game.
03:01 It's not one corner who gonna be able to cover all three of us.
03:04 One of us is gonna get off every game, you know what I'm saying?
03:07 For the one receivers, I feel like today me and Andreo had a really good day.
03:10 Next week, it probably might be LV and Andreo, or it might just be LV, or
03:13 it might be just me, or it might, you know what I'm saying?
03:15 But the good thing about it is we can keep on going.
03:17 It's never gonna stop, as long as we just keep that positive mentality and
03:20 that hardworking mentality.
03:22 >> What do you think of Gavin's return?
03:24 >> I ain't gonna lie, so I'm on pump block or pump return.
03:27 So I didn't see any of it.
03:29 I was blocking.
03:30 I was blocking the whole play.
03:31 All I heard was the whole crowd ruffed it, like I'm blocking the dude.
03:35 And I'm like, okay, play probably about over.
03:36 And I just hear, yeah.
03:38 I'm like, yeah, he probably wanna ride with me.
03:40 He probably outside, finna run down the sideline.
03:41 So I threw a bro, and I tried to get another block.
03:44 It was like, I think it must have been some kind of D-line.
03:46 It was a bigger guy coming from the left.
03:48 I tried to chip off on him.
03:50 And really, it's just G-Freaky being G-Freaky, man.
03:53 Him just doing his thing.
03:54 We are a really good team when we make sure that we have plays that get him
03:58 the ball, you know what I'm saying?
04:00 I feel like if there's one guy on the team who we need to make sure,
04:03 a lot of the time I feel like my plays are kinda just,
04:06 this happens throughout the Florida game.
04:08 It's just me being big, wanna make a play.
04:10 But for G-Freak, it's like, okay, we're gonna put in some crazy plays for
04:13 him so he can really show how crazy of an athlete, how crazy of a player he is.
04:16 And on top of that, special teams game, no-brainer, you give him two blocks.
04:20 You don't need nine, if it's ten people on the special teams outside of him, right?
04:25 He only needs two of them to block.
04:27 Everybody else can really stand there, but this year on this team,
04:29 all ten blocking.
04:30 So this is gonna be easy for him.
04:32 As long as we out there giving it our all, he gonna have plenty of opportunities in
04:35 the special teams game and on offense to show what he can do.
04:38 Cuz he's an amazing player, bro, amazing player.
04:41 >> Do those big plays that you made help build your confidence in yourself?
04:44 >> Yeah, definitely, you know what I'm saying?
04:46 I feel like for me, I've always felt like once you just get your foot in the door,
04:50 that was my message last year.
04:52 I feel like last year when I was playing, it just wasn't the timing,
04:55 it just didn't feel right, you know what I'm saying?
04:57 It was never a moment where I'm like, okay, this is my moment, I'm here.
05:00 But this year, it's like coaches instilled that belief in me,
05:03 you know what I'm saying?
05:04 It wasn't like I was just not being cockier, you know what I'm saying,
05:07 being full of myself, but I knew I was gonna play today.
05:10 Last year I didn't know I was gonna play, freshman night.
05:12 I'm sitting on the sideline hoping I get in.
05:14 Today, I was able to come into the game and prepare,
05:16 cuz I knew I'm about to get in the game.
05:18 I know I'm gonna have an opportunity, you know what I'm saying?
05:20 And from here on out, it's just keeping that going, and
05:23 it ain't never gonna stop.
05:24 Cuz I feel like, like I previously said in interviews before,
05:27 when they came to practice the other day,
05:29 I feel like I really just lost all that last year, confidence, everything.
05:34 I didn't know if I wanted to play ball, it was everything.
05:37 I went through everything, school, class, all that, man,
05:40 cuz I'd never been without football before.
05:42 I'd never been without football.
05:44 And that's a trial that every athlete has to go through, every young athlete.
05:48 But I feel like it was kinda different for me,
05:50 just cuz football is all I did, every day, all the time.
05:54 Even a younger player, let's say you love football, but you got,
05:57 I ain't have no other hobbies.
05:59 When I stay at home at the crib, I watch film, or play Madden, or
06:02 think about football.
06:03 I only just sit on the couch and just envision myself catching the touchdown for
06:06 Oklahoma, which I just did today.
06:08 So, you know what I'm saying?
06:10 Just gotta keep going.
06:11 >> Was there a light bulb moment, when your mentality changed,
06:13 you speak to the struggles you had last year.
06:15 Was there a moment where you just realized, this is different,
06:18 this year's different?
06:19 >> No, I ain't gonna lie.
06:20 So, Coach Brown, we were in a meeting, it's crazy you ask that,
06:22 cuz it really was the other day where I realized, man,
06:25 it's really finna change, it's really finna be different.
06:26 Cuz the other day, Coach Jones was in the meeting room,
06:28 we were just talking about snaps and how the rotation's gonna work.
06:31 He was like, everyone probably should expect to get 20, 30 plays.
06:37 And some players were looking like 20, 30 plays.
06:39 Me, in my head, I'm like, if I get 20 plays, I'll be jumping for joy.
06:42 20 plays?
06:43 I probably played five plays at most on offense last year per game,
06:47 on the games that I did get to play.
06:48 So I was thinking, if I get 20 plays, I'm gonna make something happen.
06:51 I'm gonna be on something.
06:52 I'm gonna be on somebody highlight tape.
06:53 20 plays, I gotta make something shake.
06:55 So I feel like that moment, other day in the meeting, really hit me.
06:58 The coaches really believed in me.
06:59 And they showed us the depth chart.
07:01 And we didn't really get to see it today, but
07:03 I can go either way, both sides.
07:05 And I don't know, I just felt that really helped build my confidence.
07:08 I was like, okay, the coaches really believed in me.
07:10 They said I can go play the one, I can go to the right side,
07:12 I can play the forward.
07:13 They got me scripted in on the speed series, you know what I'm saying?
07:16 They got me on the HIPPO personnel, as a guy who comes in, you know what I'm saying?
07:21 All that little stuff, I feel like that people overlook.
07:23 Even sometimes coaches overlook,
07:25 they don't understand how important that stuff is to a player.
07:27 Just that little, obviously it's college, so you can't just be praising players like
07:31 high school coaches can, just overly boosting their confidence, you know what I'm saying?
07:35 They gotta keep you humble and they gotta coach you hard.
07:37 But I feel like a lot of the time, some college coaches don't realize that that
07:40 little stuff, man, that little belief, especially for someone like me.
07:43 My mama always tells me, obviously I'm a man of God, man of Christ.
07:47 And my mama always tells me that I was born with discernment, the same way she is.
07:50 And for someone who's like,
07:51 you can't ignore it when you feel like something's off, you know what I'm saying?
07:54 You also can't ignore it when you feel like that little stuff is right.
07:57 When those little things make you feel good, that's just like a plus five,
08:01 plus ten on your confidence, on your everything.
08:02 And that goes for the whole team morale.
08:05 When the coaches are like, when you got this player,
08:07 when this player is all across the board, that's not even starting.
08:09 But they feeling confident and they coming out, they're the tools coming in and
08:13 they feeling just as confident as the starters.
08:15 That's the type of team I feel like we had this year.
08:16 And that's a tribute to Coach Venables and the great coach that he is and
08:20 the great staff that we got, you know what I'm saying?
08:22 And I'm just grateful to be here and
08:23 grateful to continue to play for them after everything that I went through.
08:26 And grateful that they ain't never give up on me and
08:28 they gave me an opportunity to come out here and ball.
08:30 And I'm looking forward to doing it every game of the season.
08:32 >> When intro starts with that big play,
08:33 then Gavin does what he does on punt return.
08:35 Is that almost like infectious as far as confidence for
08:37 the entire wide receiver room?
08:38 >> Yes, yes, for sure.
08:40 I didn't even have to score or touch the ball.
08:42 Once Andrew caught that post on pressure, I'm like, we finna go crazy.
08:47 I'm out there like, yeah, I feel like I just caught the ball.
08:50 You know what I'm saying?
08:50 Cuz that's my guy and watching him get better throughout running our offense,
08:55 coming from Michigan, which is really a way different scheme than what we got.
08:58 And then a way different program, take football away from Michigan,
09:01 totally different program than I feel like what we're doing here in Oklahoma.
09:03 And just watching him grow into his position and
09:06 maybe even change his play style a little bit.
09:08 We're a play with speed team at receiver.
09:10 We're not like, you know what I'm saying?
09:11 We, Coach Levy's one of the biggest thing he always coaches up is,
09:14 play with speed, don't get touched.
09:16 Never slow down, be as fast as you can.
09:18 Every school doesn't do that, so just glad that Andre was able to,
09:21 you know what I'm saying, overcome that.
09:23 And he's actually, you know what I'm saying, he's incredibly fast,
09:25 as you can see.
09:26 He only had, I think, 60 or 70 yards, but
09:28 he probably had 150 yards if you take in all the times he got past interference
09:32 today, it was like two or three times he was wide open for touchdowns.
09:35 And then, dude just tackles him, you know what I'm saying?
09:37 >> Should he have caught that one where he's still back on the ground?
09:39 >> No, I don't think he should have caught that one.
09:41 He was already on the ground.
09:42 I think it was really, that just shows how accurate of a quarterback DG is,
09:46 cuz the ball hit him smack in his stomach when he got tackled.
09:49 I'm like, man, that's a throw for real.
09:51 I think it was a little bit late, but other than that, yeah, man.
09:55 I'm really happy, I'm proud of Andre, you know what I'm saying?
09:57 Proud of him for doing what he's doing.
09:58 And as a guy, he older than me, so I try to take things from his game,
10:03 cuz I'm still, as far as the warm receivers go, I'm still the youngest.
10:07 LV's older than me, Andre's older than me, so I'm still the youngest.
10:10 So I try to take stuff from their game all the time.
10:12 And they support me and I support them.
10:14 And I feel like that's the difference between this year and last year.
10:16 As far as the receiver room, we like this, man.
10:19 Everybody, I wanna see everybody eat, you know what I'm saying?
10:22 There's no animosity, there's no nothing.
10:24 And I feel like that theme can be found in every position room on the whole team.
10:27 Once again, that's a tribute to Coach Venables and how he coaches us and
10:31 how he just teaches us how to be men.
10:33 >> Have you thought about starting a podcast?
10:34 You're a heck of a talker.
10:35 >> [LAUGH] >> I like podcasts, but I don't know.
10:38 I don't like to be on camera that much.
10:40 >> [LAUGH] >> Yeah.
10:42 >> Thanks, Jade. >> Appreciate it, man.