BREAKING: Jontae Gilbert De-commits From Ohio State

Four-star 2025 safety will re-open his recruitment

Some news broke out of the 2025 class on Saturday evening as four-star safety and Ohio State commit Jontae Gilbert (Atlanta, GA) de-committed from the Buckeyes. Gilbert had been committed to Ohio State for a year to the date, but had continued to take unofficial visits to a plethora of schools.

Back in June, Gilbert talked to Volunteer Country about his recruitment to play at Tennessee and said that both the Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks and the Defensive Backs Coach Willie Martinez were the ones recruiting him.

"Coach Martinez and Coach Banks really love me and really want me," said Gilbert. "They call my coaches to check up on me, so I feel like I’m a priority to them." 

Those aren't the only interactions that Gilbert has noticed. Head coach Josh Heupel stopped by his school this spring and left a lasting impression on one of America's top defenders.

Heupel's message to Gilbert was simple. "I want you to come play for me and I need high-caliber players like you." Those words resonated with Gilbert, and he decided to get up to campus to see what Knoxville entailed. Gilbert most recently visited Tennessee on May 31st for an unofficial visit. It should be noted that the safety has taken no official visits and that includes Ohio State.

In addition to Tennessee, it looks like there could be some other SEC schools in play for Gilbert. He took a trip to South Carolina only a couple of days before committing and he also visited Georgia and Alabama this summer. USC will also be a player here.

Gilbert is currently ranked 49th in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports. He is also ranked as the 6th best safety in the country and the 6th best player in Georgia in his class. It will be interesting to see if Gilbert takes his time now that he is de-committed and starts to set up official visits.