4-star safety Jontae Gilbert announces his top 7 schools

Atlanta Douglass safety Jontae Gilbert has been going through the recruiting process since his freshman year. Over three dozen schools have offered the four-star and he is now ready to focus on seven schools.

Georgia State, Memphis, Michigan, Louisville, NC State, South Carolina and UCF made the list. He already took an official visit to Louisville. He will visit UCF this weekend, then South Carolina on June 7, Memphis on June 14, Georgia State on June 21 and then NC State in September. Gilbert is still working on a date with Michigan, who offered earlier this week.

The No. 131 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking has visited each school on his list at least once outside of Memphis. The Tiger attended his spring game and will host him in a couple of weeks.

He sees the same opportunity in each of the seven schools.

“It came down to relationships, playing for good people and having a chance to get on the field early,” Gilbert told On3. “Now the official visits will be crucial for me. I hand to find the right home and decide where I want to be the next three to four years.”

Gilbert is planning to commit early in the fall after his trip to Raleigh. He has visited NC State three times and the staff has been recruiting him since his freshman year. Brian Mitchell is the lead recruiter for the Wolfpack. South Carolina has had him on campus five times and the connections in Columbia are strong.

“I love coach Shane Beamer and coach Torrian Gray. They are great guys, I like the commits too and it is the people that stand out at South Carolina.”

The common theme is people when talking Gilbert’s top schools. He likes Dell McGee at Georgia State, the school in his own backyard. Ted Roof and Addison Williams of UCF have connected with him. Michigan has quickly jumped in this race after winning a national championship.

He knows he has a tough decision and Louisville set the bar high.

“I am ready,” Gilbert said. “Louisville did a great job with me and my family on my first official visit. These visits will be big for me and my decision. Just being around the people will help me find where I want to be.”

There may not be a true leader heading into the June visits, but Louisville, NC State and South Carolina are three schools toward the top of Gilbert’s list.