Jalon and Gerald Kilgore, now apart, set big goals for 2026
It’s been two-and-a-half months since the Buffalo Bills called Jalon Kilgore and delivered him the news his dream was fulfilled. It hit him like a brick wall. The 167th pick in the NFL Draft threw his head down and started crying before embracing his older brother, Gerald — a feel-good moment of the three-day event.
Reality has since set in.
There’s been rookie minicamp, offseason training and the realization that being drafted doesn’t guarantee you’ll see the field. It’s like being a college freshman all over again. Luckily for Kilgore, he did well as a freshman — starting right away for South Carolina and earning Freshman All-American honors in 2023.
“(I’m) really trying to be like a sponge,” Kilgore told The State. “I’ve got a lot of vets in my room and I’m just trying to get to understanding the building and level everything out. Just really feel it out and find my space, my comfortable zone.
“(My goal) is really just to stay polished and continue to be ready when I come back to camp,” he added, “so I can show my full abilities and understand the playbook 100 percent.”
Before he heads back to western New York for training camp, he’s training in Atlanta and hanging around his hometown of Putnam County, Georgia — a town that adores Kilgore so much, it held a send-off party for him before he went to Buffalo.
On Saturday, Jalon and Gerald — a redshirt senior defensive back for the Gamecocks — are co-hosting a youth football camp at their former high school.
“It should be really, really big,” Gerald said. “We have a lot of people involved. We have our (Putnam County High) athletic director involved. We have the principal of our old high school involved. ... Just the amount of people that have their hands on the camp and are helping us out, we definitely expect it to be big.”
While his brother is competing for playing time as an NFL rookie, Gerald is trying to earn a starting spot in his third year with the Gamecocks — which, on its face, is remarkable considering that he was a high school quarterback who spent two years as a QB at Tennessee Tech before joining his brother South Carolina in 2024 and transitioning to DB.
He was mostly a special-teamer in year one, but saw an increased role at safety last season. Though he played limited snaps as a reserve defensive back, Gerald showed a knack for making plays. He finished the season with 14 tackles and two interceptions (tied for the team lead), including a 45-yard Pick-6 against Kentucky.
“My confidence in myself never wavered. I always knew who I was, the type of player I was,” Gerald said. “I know that when I do get into the game, I’m ready for it and I’m ready to show out.”
On a South Carolina team that took over two-dozen transfers this offseason, Gerald is one of the longer-tenured Gamecocks, evolving into a leader on the team.
“(I’ve shown) how consistent I can be, and how far consistency can take you,” he said. “So that’s showing up in a lot of different ways. My role on the team is very much increased to a much higher level, and that’s on and off the field — just being a spokesman for the team.”
