Gibbs was snapped up by Carlton with the first selection in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft after a standout season with SANFL side Glenelg.
Trengove appears unlikely to follow in Gibbs' footsteps and be taken at No.1 in this year's NAB AFL Draft with Melbourne, which has the first two picks, understood to be committed to Victorian teenager Tom Scully.
But Trengove's performances for Sturt have seen him overtake Scully in the eyes of some recruiters.
The SA U18 captain has made a big impact at league level since making his debut in round 15 and his near best-afield display in last weekend's preliminary final win over Glenelg was no exception.
Trengove, 18, finished with 29 possessions and eight marks, including one in the dying stages to seal an unlikely victory for the Double Blues.
He has missed this week's NAB AFL Draft Camp in Canberra to prepare for the SANFL grand final.
Phillips said Trengove's efforts at league level were comparable to Gibbs'.
"The only difference is that when Bryce was playing league football with Glenelg, Glenelg was a bottom-ranked side. Jack is playing for Sturt, which has been a top-three team in the competition all year," he said.
"Jack's come into the competition, played his role within the team and done it extremely well. It [playing in the SANFL] gives the recruiters a chance to see them play against men and to see if they can adapt their game to the bigger and stronger bodies.
"They're going to have to do that in the next 12 months if they're going to step up into AFL football."
Trengove earned All-Australian selection as a midfielder following the U18 championships earlier this year.
But Phillips said the uncompromising onballer's all-round ability was his greatest strength.
"Jack can play anywhere on the ground. I've played him down back and he's done that with great success. We know he can go through the midfield and be a dominant player and he can also go forward and take a strong overhead mark," Phillips said.
"He's just a quality person too. The recruiters are always trying to find out about the character of people and this bloke's character is just unquestionable.
"He's about as good as I've seen … I haven't seen a single flaw yet."
