South Carolina Football: Elite defensive back schedules official visit with Gamecocks

Looking ahead to the future, South Carolina football is in desperate need of help in the defensive backfield. Eight different secondary players have just one or two years of eligibility remaining, including five players from last year's 2-deep (Nick Emmanwori, DQ Smith, King-Demenian Ford, David Spaulding, and O'Donnell Fortune. Plus, with how Jalon Kilgore has played, he could be off to the NFL after 2025.

As of now, because the Gamecocks only have one commitment in the '25 cycle (wide receiver Jayden Sellers), USC should be expected to pursue defensive backs heavily over the next calendar year. Carolina likely will be a team that takes multiple players from both the high school ranks and the transfer portal next offseason.

One of the team's top targets from the 2025 high school class is defensive back Jontae Gilbert, and according to a report from 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong, the talented athlete will be back on campus in Columbia again for an official visit this June. He was on campus just last month.

Gilbert, a former 5-star prospect who is a consensus 4-star recruit now, was once committed to Ohio State but backed off of his pledge last summer. South Carolina football has been one of the top teams in his recruitment since the decommitment from the Buckeyes.

Gilbert is very intriguing as a player because he is capable of playing either safety or cornerback at a high level at the next level. He is rated as the 4th-best safety in the country according to On3, the 5th-best corner by 247Sports, #6 safety by ESPN, and the top athlete nationally according to Rivals.

An explosive athlete, Gilbert has displayed solid "stickiness" in man coverage and some big-time ball skills with the ball in the air. As a safety, he has shown good instincts in zone coverage as a help player over the top. He is also a willing tackler in the run game.

Gilbert also plays wide receiver for Douglass High School, but his future in college is as a DB.

You can watch some of his film here.