South Carolina football coaches in to see priority 2025 recruit

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and defensive coordinator Clayton White were in to visit priority 2025 defensive back recruit Jontae Gilbert on Tuesday morning.

Gilbert was previously committed to Ohio State but decommitted from the Buckeyes last summer. The Gamecocks have been one of the constants in Gilbert's recruitment even before he backed off of his pledge to OSU. He has been recruited heavily by Beamer and White, but defensive backs coach Torrian Gray has been the coach most involved with Gilbert.

Hailing from just outside of Atlanta, Gilbert was named to the All-State team in Georgia after his junior season and is one of the best players in the talent-rich Peach State.

At different points in his recruitment, Gilbert has named a top-7 and a top-10, and South Carolina football made each of the lists. Other teams that seem to be a factor in his decision-making process include Georgia Tech, Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, Southern Cal, Texas, Colorado, LSU, NC State, Tennessee, and even Ohio State. He has revealed that he knows his top-5, however, and he plans to share that shortened list sometime this spring.

As a player, Gilbert is an impressive athlete who has shown the ability to play both corner and safety at a high level. It is unclear if the South Carolina football coaching staff has a preference as to which spot they'd like to see Gilbert play if he ended up in Columbia. He is rated as a cornerback by 247Sports, a safety by On3 and ESPN, and an athlete by Rivals. He also plays wide receiver for Frederick Douglass High School, but defensive back seems to be his future.

Gilbert is a consensus top-70 prospect, and he currently sits right around "5-star range" according to both the On3 and 247Sports' consensus rankings.

You can watch some of his film here.