Purdue Football: Jaron Tibbs ready for banner season

Purdue football sophomore wide receiver Jaron Tibbs is no stranger to success.

In high school at Cathedral High School (IN), Tibbs was one of the best players in the Hoosier State for one of the best programs. After a freshman season with the Boilermakers that saw him appear in eight games for Purdue football, Tibbs is ready for a banner season in 2024.

Tibbs is part of a pretty crowded wide receiver room for Purdue football, as the Boilermakers added former UCLA standout Kam Brown, as well as former Georgia wide receivers De’Nylon Morrissette and C.J. Smith.

“We have a lot more guys that have bought in. We are super deep at the wide receiver position, too. We don’t have to force it to one guy. We have seven or eight receivers that can play any position,” Tibbs said.

With that said, Purdue football wide receivers coach Cory Patterson believes Tibbs is a player who had a “huge jump last year.”

“The development of those guys from last year to this year has been tremendous, especially for him. He’s a smart kid, but he had a year of college football and you can see it starting to sink in. He’s really developing into something that I think will be able to really help us,” Patterson said of Tibbs.

Last fall, Tibbs caught five passes for 42 yards, including three passes for 27 yards against Indiana. He also caught a pass against Ohio State for eight yards and a pass for seven yards at Northwestern. The sophomore said the experience last year was huge for him.

“It definitely helped a lot, especially the IU game. That was the first time since high school playing that much against that kind of competition,” Tibbs said.

And, with him being in the system over a year, Tibbs admits he feels more comfortable out there.

“Since I’ve been in the system for a year, I understand the offense more. Chemistry is really good. Last year, I was a freshman trying to figure it out, but we’ve become a lot closer,” Tibbs said.

At 6-foot-3-inches and 210 pounds, Tibbs gives Purdue quarterback Hudson Card a nice option, especially in the slot, where he played quite a bit this spring.

“My hands are a strong point. I am a bigger body, and they have me playing in the slot a lot more,” Tibbs said.