Report: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore declares for 2026 NFL Draft

South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore has declared himself for entry in the 2026 NFL Draft. That comes on Thursday afternoon, according to On3’s Pete Nakos and again confirmed later by GamecockCentral’s Wes Mitchell.

Kilgore will finish his collegiate career with three seasons played for South Carolina. He, in that time, made 36 appearances, 33 of those being starts, in the secondary, either at nickel or with experience at safety, for the Gamecocks.

While in Columbia, Kilgore posted a total of 178 tackles, 4.5 of those being for loss, with 21 deflections, eight interceptions, and one forced fumble while getting a pair of fumble recoveries. In each season, Kilgore finished top six on the Gamecocks’ defense in tackles, pass deflections, and interceptions. That includes this past season, where, as a junior, Kilgore finished with 54 tackles, 10 deflections, and four total turnovers with a pair of picks and fumble recoveries apiece.

With that, Kilgore did earn some career honors while with the Gamecocks. He earned multiple conference recognitions from various outlets, with him most recently being voted by the coaches as Second Team All-SEC.

A native of Eatonton, Georgia, Kilgore played his high school football at Putnam County. He ranked as a Top 300 overall prospect there as a four-star in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He also rated as a Top 25 safety in the class and as a Top 30 player out of the state of Georgia. That’s according to the Rivals’ Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. That made him one of the better signees for South Carolina in what was a Top 20 class per Rivals’ 2023 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

This is now the second declaration of the day for the Gamecocks. Kilgore follows a fellow defensive back in Brandon Cisse, who announced his intentions to go to the next level as well earlier on Thursday.

“Recently, an NFL scouting source expressed that Kilgore was likely a mid-round pick in next spring’s draft. He has picked up some predictions as high as the first round, however, thanks to his combination of size, athleticism, and ball skills on the back end of the defense,” Kevein Miller wrote this afternoon at GamecockCentral. “He projects as a player who could contribute at multiple defensive positions in the NFL.”

South Carolina has had a recent run of decent-level draft picks over the last couple of years. Kilgore will look to be the next, with him to be available for franchises to select come the draft from April 24th to April 26th in Pittsburgh.