Elite 2025 defensive back Jontae Gilbert decommits from Ohio State

COLUMBUS — One of the prized Ohio State commits in the 2025 class is reopening his recruitment: safety Jontae Gilbert has decommitted from the Buckeyes.

Gilbert had been committed to the Buckeyes since July 2022. But recently, he has been open to the idea of taking visits elsewhere. The next step was to decommit, and he went ahead and made the decision to do so.

“First off I want to thank God for all of the blessings he has been sending my way,” Gilbert told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “I want to thank my family, friends, and coaches for supporting me through my decision. This was a very hard decision to make but after long talks with my family and my coaches I now want to say I am opening back up my recruiting and decommit from Ohio State. Respect my decision! Thank you Buckeye Nation for everything and to all the Ohio State coaching staff.”

Gilbert ranks as the No. 35 player according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He checks in as the No. 3 safety and the No. 7 player in the state of Georgia.

The 6-foot-1, 185 pound defensive back from Douglass (Atlanta, Georgia) has offers from nearly every major program in the country.

This news comes after Gilbert’s busy summer. He had previously stressed that he was locked in with Ohio State despite the constant rumors that a decommitment could come.

“Everything is good [and] I’m locked in,” Gilbert said in the spring to Lettermen Row’s Matt Parker. “Things are great with coach [Tim Walton], he texts me every day and has sent me videos from spring practices so far.

“I just want to explore my options and make sure that I made the right decision. [Walton] will ask me about the visits and he’s a great coach and a great man. He trusts me and he believes in me.”

Now Gilbert is officially free to explore all options, including committing elsewhere. After nearly a year with the Buckeyes 2025 class, Jontae Gilbert has decommitted from it.