In today’s world of spread offenses, Louisville’s Jy’Kevious Hibbler is the last player an offensive coordinator wants to see standing at the line.
Hibbler returns for his senior season at Louisville after a monstrous junior year for the defending Class 4A state champions. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior finished the season with 58 tackles but had an astounding 25 tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hurries and 15 sacks.
Hibbler is the latest member of the Winston County Journal’s Eleven To Watch for 2019. Already named are Shia Moore of Nanih Waiya, Kristian Hopkins of Louisville, Raheem Hathorn of Noxapater and Jody McCorkle of Winston Academy.
New defensive coordinator George Richardson is already thinking about ways to use the talented senior.
“He is going to be one of our top guys on the defensive front,” Richardson said. “He had a lot of success last year. I’m looking for the best pass-rushing front we can put together and it could possibly be the best one in Class 4A. He’s a very dynamic player on the defensive line or I can drop him back in coverage in the flat areas and provides me a lot of options as to how we attack opposing teams.”
New coach Tyrone Shorter also likes Hibbler as that edge rusher, mainly because of his speed, which comes in at 4.7 in the 40-yard dash.
“He’s really good coming off the edge and rushing the quarterback,” Shorter said. “I like his explosion. To be a guy around 220, he can move really well and I think at the next level he will put on 15 or 20 more pounds and be close to 240 and then play out in space. I think the sky’s the limit for him because he can run really well. I like him as an outside linebacker and bring him off the edge a lot. That’s how we’re going to us him.”
Hibbler is drawing plenty of attention from the colleges. He already has offers from Louisiana-Lafayette and South Alabama as well as junior college offers from Coahoma and Hinds. Hibbler said he also has received interest from Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Tulane and Louisiana-Monroe.
Hibbler has also been making the camp circuit with stops in Memphis, Ole Miss and Southern Miss, with a few other possible stops along the way.
“I think he’s one of those guys that’s gong to get a lot of offers at the end,” Shorter said. “He’s a qualifier and he will also be a December graduate as well. When you get guys that can graduate in December and they can get them on campus for spring training, it helps them get offers. There are several other schools that really like him. He’s going to get the right offer, it’s just a matter of time.”
Richardson said he expects Hibbler to get better and better.
“I don’t think he has started scratching the ceiling yet,” Richardson said. “From a weight standpoint, technique, I think once he gets a shot at the next level, he is going to see that he will be able to do so much more. We are trying to tap into all of that potential right now to get as much out of him as possible.”
Shorter said Hibbler will be a hybrid type of player at defensive end and outside linebacker but can also see him running some routes on offense this season as well.
“We’re going to scheme and let him do what he do,” Shorter said. “We’re also going to play him a little at some tight end because he has really great hands so we’re going to experiment a little with him at tight end in some of the stuff we’re going to be doing because he’s fast. He’s really, really fast. His speed is deceptive. When he starts running and moving and stuff you’ll be like, ‘This kid can move.’ So we’re going to play him in a lot of different places.”
Hibbler also plays on the Louisville basketball team where he starts in the post. But because he plays basketball, he doesn’t get the time in the weight room that football-only players do.
He’s one of those kids that you are going to enjoy coaching as well because he comes to work out every single day and he gives his all,” Shorter said. “And he wants to go to school and play football. I think his weakness is the weight room right now. I tell him he plays so many sports so he really doesn’t have time to really get in it, so I think he’s behind in that area to be as big a guy as he is but he’s coming along. He should be a whole lot stronger than what he is because he plays so many sports he doesn’t get a chance to be in the weight room as much as he should but I think that kid is going to end up at a really good school. I think a red shirt year and he’s going to very good.”
Hibber said he has some personal goals for next year but there’s only one real goal at Louisville.
“I’d like to get 20 sacks this season and maybe like five interceptions,” Hibbler said. “But the main thing is we have to win another state championship. Whatever I have to do to help the team win another state championship. It was a great experience last year. We worked really hard and had been really close the year before. We had some heartbreaking losses but finally got it done last year. We have some great talent coming back.”
