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Northside lineman Tate Gibbs will be a member of the Barton College Bulldogs in the fall.
Gibbs, a 6’3 285 lb. lineman on both sides of the ball for the Panthers, chose the Bulldogs after talking with Wingate, Catawba and UNC-Pembroke coaches. Barton competes in the Division II South Atlantic Conference along with Davidson, Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba, Mars Hill and several other schools in the Carolinas and Virginia.

“I really enjoyed my visit there because even the workers not involved with athletics were very friendly and welcoming,” Gibbs said. “I liked that all classrooms, dorms and athletic facilities are close together and it seems like the best opportunity to play early.”

Gibbs joined the Northside varsity in sophomore year and was part of two undefeated conference championship teams and helped win the Anchor Bowl over Southside his sophomore and senior years.

“We threw him with the varsity as a sophomore and he’s been one of our main guys up front all three years,” coach Keith Boyd said. “He’s worked hard in the weight room to get stronger and he’ll continue that to prepare for Barton. He has great feet and will fit in at center, guard or tackle.”

Gibbs, the grandson of long-time ECU offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler, and his fellow linemen formed a unit that helped the Panthers average over 300 rushing yards per game. Running backs Jamie Corprew, Marcus Clayton and Mitch Godley all ran for more than 1,000 yards and Corprew and Godley were named the CPC player of the year.

“Tate was a big part of a very solid unit for us,” Boyd said. “Barton is getting a good one, on and off the field.”