Brent Key, Tyler Santucci Pay Visit To 2025 Four-Star Cornerback and Top Target Jontae Gilbert

Gilbert is one of the best defensive backs in the country for the 2025 class

One of the top defensive backs in the country and one of Georgia Tech's top targets for the 2025 class got a visit from Brent Key and new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci. 

Jontae Gilbert, who plays at Douglass High School in Atlanta, received a visit from both Key and Santucci today. Gilbert is going to be one of the most coveted defensive backs in the 2025 class. 

#YELLOWJACKETS 🐝 pic.twitter.com/DvI9ptFIW0

— Jontae Gilbert (@J7ontaeGilbert) January 18, 2024

Gilbert is a four-star player in the 247Sports Composite, ranking as the No. 29 player in the country, the No. 6 corner in the country, and the No. 7 player in the state of Georgia. He has offers from Clemson, South Carolina, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas, and USC, among others. He is a former Ohio State commit but backed off of that pledge last July. He has made several visits to Georgia Tech. 

Miami defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae was also visiting Gilbert today. 

2025 Georgia Tech target Jontae Gilbert / 247Sports- Credit: Andrew Ivins

Georgia Tech has a new defensive staff and they are already hard at work on the trail, as evidenced by Santucci being on the road today. Gilbert is going to be perhaps the top target on the board for the Yellow Jackets and being a prospect that is in their own backyard, it would be huge for Key to land Gilbert.

In one season at Duke (2023), Santucci directed the ACC’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game, which was good for 16th nationally. The Blue Devils also ranked among the nation’s top 50 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, tackles for loss, third-down defense, fourth-down defense and red-zone defense. Duke allowed a total of just 10 points in a pair of wins over teams that finished the season in the top 25 – No. 20 Clemson (28-7) and No. 21 NC State (24-3) – and finished 8-5 overall after a 17-10 win over Troy in the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.

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Kyle Pope spent the past four seasons (2020-23) as defensive line coach at Memphis, which included being elevated to defensive run game coordinator in his final season with the Tigers. In his four seasons at Memphis, the Tigers earned four bowl berths and won all three of their postseason games that were played (2020 Montgomery Bowl, 2022 First Responder Bowl and 2023 Liberty Bowl – the 2021 Hawai’i Bowl was canceled due to Covid-19).

In his two seasons at Duke, Jess Simpson directed a staunch defensive front that helped lead the Blue Devils to 17 wins (just one shy of the program’s combined win total from the four seasons prior to his arrival), including victories in the 2022 Military Bowl and 2023 Birmingham Bowl.

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