Gators DB Target Jalon Kilgore Shares His Impressions of UF Following Offer

Florida Gators defensive back target Jalon Kilgore shared his impressions of UF following the "shocking" offer on Feb. 21.

The Gators’ efforts to recruit talented prospects to the University of Florida have ramped up significantly in the past few weeks.

During that span, a bevy of recruits has earned offers from the Gators staff at several different positions. 

The defensive back position has seemingly been a point of interest for the new-look Florida staff, and defensive backs have begun taking notice of UF’s. That starts with some of the top cornerbacks in the country like AJ Harris, Cormani McClain, Tony Mitchell, Sharif Denson and others.

However, that hasn’t stopped the Gators from looking toward other secondary prospects flying under the radar as they begin to find pieces to fill out the backend.

Putnam County (Ga.) defensive back Jalon Kilgore is an example of their pursuit in that area.

After receiving his offer on Feb. 21, Kilgore detailed what it meant to earn the recognition from Florida with AllGators.

“It was pretty shocking at first,” Kilgore said on Sunday following his participation in the UA Next camp in Atlanta.

“I was talking to Coach [Kareem] Reid for about a week or two before the offer. He was just talking to me about the new recruiting staff and the new facilities that they’re building. He said that they’re coming to be a great team.”

However, his discussions with the staff didn’t stop at the defensive quality control staffer. A facet of the recruitment efforts that Kilgore took notice of was his fast-growing connection with the head man of the Florida program.

“I was talking to Coach [Billy] Napier. Knowing that I was offered by them, especially from the head coach, that was a lot. Just hearing it from the head coach.”

Going deeper into his conversations with Napier, Kilgore shared that he’s viewed as an asset for the team at the next level.

The Gators would look to use the 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect at safety or nickel if he elected to continue his playing career at UF. As a result, he spent time talking with co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Patrick Toney as well, given the fact that he will serve as his position coach at the next level.

The positional projection adheres to the desired height, length, and athleticism that Florida is targeting for all incoming players, especially those in the secondary.

All of those traits have shined through on his way to tallying 88 tackles, eight pass breakups and four forced fumbles in 2021. That played a prominent role in the early offer extended by a staff that has been stingy handing them out since the 2023 class became a priority focus when the 2022 cycle closed down in early February.

Currently, Florida places highly on the list for Kilgore, with the likes of South Carolina, Indiana, Liberty, Georgia Tech, UCF, Indiana and UConn pursuing him the hardest at the moment.

Kilgore is expecting to visit the University of Florida today for the first time, looking to get a better idea of what the program offer and if it is somewhere he can envision himself for the next three to four years of his life.

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