Atlanta four-star defensive back commits to Georgia football
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart landed a helicopter at Douglass High in Atlanta when Jontae Gilbert was a sophomore, his coach remembered.
Things heated up between Gilbert and the Bulldogs this year with Donte Williams and Travaris Robinson now coaching the defensive backs.
“They built the relationship back with him,” said Douglass coach Stanley Pritchett, a nine-year NFL fullback who was teammates with Robinson with the Falcons. “I think they kind of sealed the deal for him.”
Gilbert committed to Georgia on Saturday, giving the Bulldogs class the nation’s No. 141 rated prospect by the 247Sports Composite and the top-rated cornerback in the state and No. 18 nationally. His decision was streamed on Atlanta's 11Alive YouTube channel.
Gilbert is the fifth defensive back in a class that’s now grown to 23 and ranked fourth in the nation before the commitment.
Pritchett isn’t certain where the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Gilbert will end up in the secondary.
“Donte loves him a lot,” he said of Williams who coaches the cornerbacks. “That’s his guy, but I also see him being a safety because he’s got the good size and can run and cover.”
Gilbert picked Georgia over finalists N.C. State and Georgia Tech. He picked up a Georgia Tech cap on the table in front of him and tossed it aside and put on the UGA one.
"This May I went to camp and did very good," Gilbert said. "I think they liked how I performed."
Gilbert committed to Ohio State after his freshman season but backed off that pledge a year later in 2023 and re-opened his recruiting.
“It’s been a long journey for him,” Pritchett said. “He’s been courted by everyone in the nation.”
Gilbert plays cornerback, free safety, wide receiver and even punter for Douglass.
“Just an all-around athlete,” Pritchett said. “He’s very physical at the line of scrimmage. I think they like that a lot. I think they like that he’s long and rangy and the sky’s the limit once he gets into the program.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football lands commitment from DB Jontae Gilbert from Atlanta
