Through the course of UCF's first four games, 12 players on defense have seen their first starts. Among that group is redshirt freshman cornerback Kyle Gibson, who has started the past three.
While Gibson is nowhere near a finished product, he has shown signs of what made him such a coveted recruit in the 2013 class. He was a bright spot in the South Carolina game, registering five tackles and a pass breakup.
Making his UCF interview debut on Tuesday, Gibson says he's feeling a lot more comfortable now that he has a few games under his belt.
"When I first started out, I used to get pretty nervous," Gibson said. "Just the more I started playing, as the game kind of went on, I got more comfortable. Just getting more experience and watching film helps me play faster on the field."
With every 2014 secondary starter moving on, it's been a process trying to identify the right mix of four. Gibson initially began the season as a backup to D.J. Killings and got his opportunity after Killings went down with an injury in the season opener. The other starters last Saturday included Jeremy Boykins at the other corner spot (who had replaced Shaquill Griffin), Jarod Boykins (who had replaced Tre Neal) at strong safety alongside free safety Drico Johnson, the only player to start all four games.
"I think last game at South Carolina was one of our best games," Gibson said. "I think we all started to get used to play with each other side by side and started to get comfortable. I think that was a game where everything was coming together real smooth.
"All of us are kind of like learning together because we're all new players in the secondary. We're all in the film room together just learning with each other, just watching film, getting on the board and learning new things. Coach Fisher and Coach Thacker are doing a great job teaching us and getting us up to speed."
During his time at national powerhouse Armwood High School in Seffner, Gibson emerged as a national recruit, earning four-star status and a host of offers from schools across the country. He committed to Vanderbilt early in the process, but changed his mind in the weeks before National Signing Day after the Commodores went through a coaching change.
UCF was actually the first school to offer, doing so shortly after the conclusion of his sophomore season.
"At Armwood, when I first started I was a younger player," Gibson said. "Armwood was kind of like here now. I had older players to look up to and get me up to speed. I was always trying to learn from older players. Even last year, Clayton, B.A. and Jacoby and players like that, I used to try to pick their brain... Sometimes, every now and then, when the games would come up, I would try to listen to Clayton or Brandon Alexander and get in the film room with them."
Though disappointed in the 0-4 start, Gibson says they're looking forward to turning a new page when conference play begins this Saturday at Tulane.
"It's kind of like a new season," Gibson said. "0-0 now. It's conference play. We're trying to get our first win... That's what coach has been preaching to us. The past four games are over with. Now it's conference play. That's our main goal, to win the conference championship."