Gerald Kilgore came to South Carolina with the idea that he and Jalon would spend one more season together in the Gamecocks’ secondary before both chased the NFL. Instead, the older brother is the one still in Columbia, and he’s the one trying to fill the opening his younger brother left behind.
Jalon Kilgore is headed to training camp with the Buffalo Bills after three strong seasons at South Carolina and an April draft selection. Gerald, meanwhile, is entering his fifth year in college and his third with the Gamecocks, where he’s competing to take over at nickel and keep his own pro hopes alive.
The family twist is a little unusual, even by football standards. Gerald is the older sibling by 16 months, so the expectation might have been that he’d get to the NFL first.
Instead, Jalon got there ahead of him. Still, Gerald says the experience has been a positive one for the whole family.
“This process has been great for me, for the entire family, especially for him. I got to go to the (NFL Scouting Combine) when he went, so that was crazy for me to see.
That just gave me more motivation to want to be there next year,” Gerald said during spring practice. “So, yeah, it’s been great.
(USC Pro Day) was great, and he’s going to be great in the NFL.”
There’s also a new number on Gerald’s back this season. He wore No. 23 last year, while Jalon wore 24, but with four-year starter DQ Smith gone, No. 1 was available in the spring. Gerald asked for it and got it.
“I had No. 1 in my old school when I was at Tennessee Tech. I had 23 the past two seasons, which has been good.
It’s been real good,” Kilgore said. “I want to make sure I’m in my full element and making myself be the best version of myself.
Because if you wear No. 1, you got to be a baller.
“And I feel like I consider myself to be a baller.”
South Carolina brought in Quay’sheed Scott from Kentucky for help at the spot, but as camp opens, nothing is locked down. Gerald knows the message from Shane Beamer well: “Competition is a core value of our program.”
His path to this point has already included a major position change. A quarterback in high school, he moved to safety at Tennessee Tech and broke through as a redshirt freshman. After transferring to South Carolina, his role expanded, and last season he intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown.
“I feel like I always knew I was an athlete, but I never played defense since I was younger. So making that transition was pretty tough mentally and physically, just having to learn all the different movements and everything and pick up on the defensive side,” Kilgore said.
“But I feel like maybe after I got one or two games under my belt, I was like, ‘OK, yeah, I can do this. I can do this for real.’”
He’s continued to develop under Clayton White, Torrian Gray, Dre Bly, Luke Doty and Jaylan Foster, and he’s become a regular high scorer on the quizzes White gives the defensive backs.
“He gives us a formation and he’ll give us a call. And we have to be able to write our assignments beside the call,” Kilgore said. “You definitely get a grade.”
Once practice begins Aug. 7, Gerald and the rest of the roster will spend the next month trying to earn their spots. Jalon will already be a couple of weeks into NFL training by then.
That leaves Gerald in the role of older brother, older teammate and, for now, the one trying to lead a younger group in the secondary. He says that part of the job means more than just having a voice.
“The leaders have to be able to stick up to that. And as well, allow and show the younger guys what leadership looks like, not just feel like, ‘I’m so above the other guys in the room,’” Kilgore said. “You have the authority to speak, but you have to be able to teach as well.”
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