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Sooners in Top 10 of 4-Star DE Kelvin Gilliam

Close relationships with other top prospects might work in Oklahoma's favor

John E. Hoover

Everyone figured Kelvin Gilliam likes Oklahoma.

But Tuesday, the 4-star 2021 defensive end confirmed it by putting the Sooners among his top 10 college choices.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Gilliam announced a list that also includes Penn State, Florida, Texas,  South Carolina, Cal, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Kentucky and LSU.

Gilliam told SI Sooners that after he announces his finalists, “I’ll start scheduling visits.”

On-campus recruiting is still shut down due to the pandemic and NCAA-mandated dead period, but Gilliam is hopeful that gets lifted soon. Gilliam said after he makes all his visits, then he intends to announce his verbal commitment.

“But things could change on that,” he said.

Gilliam received an offer from OU on Feb. 3.

In mid-March, Gilliam had planned on taking an official visit to Oklahoma. But the pandemic and NCAA restrictions shut that down. He instead took a virtual visit on April 30 and called it “great.”

Gilliam, from Highland Springs, VA, is close to Washington, D.C. quarterback Caleb Williams. They’re not necessarily a package deal, but they have discussed the possibility of playing together. Williams, who’s currently competing at the Elite 11 Finals in Nashville, has OU in his final three, and will reveal his decision on Saturday.

Gilliam said he spoke with Williams about his timeline on Monday.

“I know without a doubt he’s going to go and dominate at the Elite 11,” Gilliam said. “That’s the type of guy you want on your team. I know that he’ll do well down there.”

Gilliam is also considering playing alongside high school teammate Damond Harmon, a 3-star cornerback who’s considering OU as well as Georgia, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“I’ve been playing with Damond since middle school, and I’ve known him since the fifth grade,” Gilliam said. “And we have a very close, tight personal relationship together. Seeing him grind and work at his craft day in and day out is just great. You know, a lot of his top schools are mine as well, and being recruited by the same places allows an opportunity to play on the same team together in college.”

According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Gilliam is the No. 7 weakside defensive end prospect in the country and the No. 4 prospect in Virginia. His overall rating is No. 106.

Rivals lists Gilliam as a defensive tackle and ranks him No. 9 nationally at the position and No. 104 in the country overall.

ESPN ranks Gilliam as the 16th-best defensive end in the country and No. 149 among all prospects.

Deputy editor Parker Thune contributed to this report.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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