Shelton Gibson wasn’t allowed near the football team in 2013. Jacky Marcellus was redshirting. For one reason or another, the natives of Cleveland and Immokalee, Fla., became friends, likely because of the struggle they shared being kept away from the game they loved. When the team would travel and Marcellus was left behind, he’d hang with Gibson. They’re roommates today.

A while later, they’d add to their unfortunate fraternity. Gibson was struggling as he transitioned back into football after he was away for two semesters. Marcellus was soon dealing with a torn ACL that kept him on the shelf last season. Then there was a long-haired quarterback working with the scout team after spending the previous year in junior college. He was from Fort Worth, Texas, and WVU was his third college and his third time zone in a year.

The story of how Skyler Howard more or less forged this now inseparable bond with Gibson and Marcellus is pretty funny, and it served as the stepping stone for where they are now. Howard is the starting quarterback, Gibson a starting wide receiver and Marcellus a promising prospect splitting time and opening eyes as a running back and slot receiver. That they did so well in the spring is no surprise.

Gibson’s ascent, though, is worth noting because he’s literally put in the mileage to make this happen.

It’s such a bond, in fact, that Gibson went home to Texas with Howard after those spring drills in 2014. Gibson and slot receiver Jacky Marcellus made the trip to Fort Worth and it was anything but a vacation.

“I’d take them out to my old high school field,’’ Howard said. “It was 117 [degrees] one day. You could see the heat rising off the turf.’’

“It was hot, man,’’ Gibson said. “He had me out there running [deep routes] all day. I was like, ‘Skyler, I’m from Cleveland. I can’t do this.’ ’’

Gibson’s trips haven’t been limited to Texas with Howard, either. He’s made two trips there, but also went this year to Delaware to work out with fellow receiver Daikiel Shorts and freshman QB David Sills.

“We’d do beach workouts and we even went out on a golf course and threw,’’ Gibson said.

There’s a reason, of course, that all these quarterbacks want to work out with Gibson. As Holgorsen said, he might be the fastest pass-catcher he’s ever coached, and that’s quite a lengthy list that includes, among others, Michael Crabtree, Justin Blackmon, Tavon Austin and, most recently, White and Alford.

For the record, Gibson said the fastest 40-yard dash time he can recall was a 4.32 at a camp at Duke when he was in high school. His school records in the 100 and 200 meters at Cleveland Heights High School are 10.67 and 21.35, respectively. By comparison, James Jett’s best 200-meter time in high school was 21.39.

And don’t think that Gibson’s ears didn’t perk up when he heard of Holgorsen’s comments about his speed.

“I think about that every day now,’’ Gibson said. “And it just makes me want to run even faster.’’