Georgia DB commits to Muschamp, Gamecocks

Defensive back Jonathan Gipson of Hoschton, Ga., announced a commitment Monday afternoon to South Carolina.

Gipson (6-0 180) picked the Gamecocks over Tennessee and Indiana. He is the second defensive back commitment for the 2018 class and the 17th overall. He’s also the Gamecocks’ fifth pledge from the state of Georgia.

Gipson was high up on USC’s board throughout the recruiting process and was one of the early 2018 targets to land a Gamecock offer. He attended a junior day and practice in February and from there the relationship between him and defensive coordinator and secondary coach Travaris Robinson took off.

And he cemented that strong feeling on his last visit earlier this month for the Spurs Up cookout.

“I went with the Gamecocks simply because of how comfortable I was with them,” Gipson said. “You get comfortable with the people you are around, so I just got comfortable with the people I was around over there. It was just amazing on my last visit, so I just felt comfortable with my decision.”

Gipson can play corner and safety and said that’s one of the reasons the Gamecocks like him. He feels his future in Robinson’s secondary will be as the backside safety.

“They feel like I will fit perfectly,” he said. “They want me to come in and strive and go hard, but they also think I have an opportunity to play early. They want me to be on that backside safety with Jamyest (Williams) playing corner. T-Rob sees a lot of things in me. He really thinks I can play almost every position.”

And with this commitment, Gipson said he is finished with recruiting.

“The word commitment stands strong with me,” Gipson said. “I’m ready to shut it down.”

Gipson’s commitment closes out an active July for Will Muschamp in recruiting. He added seven commitments to his 2018 class and gained his first for 2019 during the month.

A next possible commitment is defensive end Raqwon O’Neal of Conway, who is set to announce Aug. 16.

Some of Gipson’s other offers included Michigan, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Maryland, Maryland, Auburn, Louisville, North Carolina, Colorado and Oregon State.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Georgia DB commits to Muschamp, Gamecocks."