By Mark Nagi

Last week Gibbs standout Ethan Humphries signed with Centre College, a private, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky.  Humphries ran for 1,433 yards and scored 14 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2019. We caught up with Humphries shortly after he made that very important decision.

 

The Knoxville Focus: Congratulations on your decision. Why did you choose Centre College?

Ethan Humphries: They’ve been with me… they were my first offer ever since the beginning they felt like a different type of environment… and a different type of football to be played there partnered with academics and I just felt like family from the first moment.

KF: (Ethan has a 4.23 GPA and scored 29 in the ACT) You mentioned the academic aspect. How important was that to this decision?

EH: It’s extremely important… that’s one of the top things I looked at for school was academics.  They call it the “Harvard of the South.” Something as great as Centre. It’s hard to match.

KF: Where else were you looking during this process?

EH: I was also looking at Berry College in Rome, Georgia and then Union College (KY) offered me late, which was an option and then there were a few more than come up along the way.

KF: Where does that coaching staff at Centre College see you fitting in?

EH: So right now, coming in they see me being more of a power back and hopefully as I progress though training and getting faster hopefully being all purpose back…

KF: Danville, Kentucky is about a 2 ½ hour drive from Knoxville. How much did the proximity play a factor in your decision?

EH: My parents would love for me to be close as I can but at the same time it is nice to be able to get away from it and have that full college experience and have something new. It wasn’t a huge impact but at the same time it is nice to be able to come in and visit family on weekends if I can.

KF: What was that Gibbs High School football experience like?

EH: I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is a close, tight knit community. I can talk to the other guys like they are my brothers. It’s just great to be able to come out and be recognized in the community as somebody that had the opportunity to make a difference.

KF: You are heading to Centre College in August. What will you be doing to prepare yourself for college football?

EH: I’m doing a lot of mobility work and agility training with (former Powell HS standout) Dyshawn Mobley… just a lot of speed training work to work on that explosiveness.

KF: What kind of guidance did the coaches at Gibbs give you during this process?

EH: They were very helpful. They just wanted to make sure that I was doing what was best for me and not taking other people’s opinions and let that be the guide instead of just letting myself find what was right for me.