Five-star 2025 defensive back Jontae Gilbert caught many in the recruiting industry off guard when he publicly committed to the Buckeyes extremely early in his recruiting process, giving Ohio State a verbal commitment on July 29, 2022, making him the first Buckeye commit in the 2025 cycle.
Since then, several schools have attempted to flip his commitment, including Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and USC, among others. Still, Gilbert has maintained his commitment to the Buckeyes and has a close relationship with Ryan Day and Ohio State cornerbacks coach Tim Walton.
Gilbert has visited Columbus a number of times — including attending last year’s season opener against Notre Dame — and has set his next visit to Ohio State for Sept.