Gamecock football top player countdown: No. 6: Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore was named as Gamecock football’s sixth-best player of the last 30 years according to a fan poll conducted recently by 107.5 The Game.
The Rock Hill (South Carolina) native was a star player for South Pointe High, signing with Gamecock football as a highly-ranked prospect in the 2009 recruiting class. Playing quarterback and defensive back for the Stallions, Gilmore led his team to an undefeated season and a state championship as a senior. The On3 Consensus ranked Gilmore as a five-star prospect, the nation’s 24th-best regardless of position in that cycle.
[Get four months of Gamecock Central for $1!]
After arriving in Columbia as an early enrollee, Gilmore made an immediate impact in his first season for Gamecock football. He started every game at cornerback as a true freshman and tallied 56 tackles, 8 pass breakups, an interception, and 3 sacks. That production led him to Freshman All-America honors from a variety of sources including Phil Steele and College Football News and Freshman All-SEC from the league’s coaches.
Aside from his defensive work in year one, Gilmore also made a notable impact on offense in a key game, as he rushed for 20 yards and completed a 39 yard pass in a home win over Clemson.
[Join us Aug. 20 at Steel Hands Brewing for the 2022 Gamecock Central Kickoff Party]
From there, Gilmore continued to flourish as a Gamecock. He led the team in tackles his sophomore season with 79, ultimately garnering first-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches. He was also named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Following three highly successful seasons in Columbia, the Gamecock football standout was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills selected Gilmore with the 10th overall selection that season.
During Gilmore’s final season in Buffalo – 2016 – he was named to his first Pro Bowl. After hitting free agency, the New England Patriots signed him to a five-year, $65 million contract. Gilmore played his best career ball under Bill Belichick, earning first-team NFL All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2019 as well as three straight Pro Bowl selections. Gilmore also won a Super Bowl with New England, and he was notably named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Gilmore then spent one season with the Carolina Panthers, his hometown team, nabbing another Pro Bowl selection after the 2021 season.
[Win a Jaheim Bell-autographed football]
In April, Gilmore signed a new two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts worth up to $23 million in total, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport.
For his NFL career, Gilmore has racked up 427 total tackles, 27 interceptions, 116 passes defensed, 7 forced fumbles, 2 touchdowns, and a sack.
