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'Respect My Decision!' 2025 Four-Star S Jontae Gilbert De-Commits From Ohio State

After a year of being committed to coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, 2025 safety Jontae Gilbert officially announced his decision to re-open his recruitment Saturday night.
Matt Guzman|
'Respect My Decision!' 2025 Four-Star S Jontae Gilbert De-Commits From Ohio State
'Respect My Decision!' 2025 Four-Star S Jontae Gilbert De-Commits From Ohio State

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Ohio State Buckeyes

As the saying goes, sometimes things are too good to be true.  Unfortunately for the Ohio State Buckeyes, that saying held true Saturday night, as four-star safety Jontae Gilbert officially de-committed from Columbus and coach Ryan Day's 2025 recruiting class.

Gilbert had previously been committed to the Buckeyes since July of 2022, marking a full year of his decision ahead of the start of the 2023 season. 

"Respect my decision!" Gilbert told On3. "This was a very hard [one] 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[ting] from Ohio State. 

"Thank you Buckeye Nation for everything.” Losing Gilbert stings the Buckeyes, as the Georgia native brought a level of talent to the field that would certainly benefit Ohio State in a few years, especially if he continues to develop in the secondary. 

Gilbert's decision leaves four-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair alone in the Buckeyes' 2025 draft class, where Day and his staff can now begin to work on finding his replacement and expanding their prospective talent beyond Gilbert.

As for Gilbert, he has a total of 24 offers, the most notable being from Georgia Tech, Pitt, Arkansas and Alabama, and will now begin to field pitches from schools across the country in search of his college football home.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a 19-year-old sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism with a sports writing and reporting emphasis, along with a sports analytics certificate. He serves as a staff writer and reporter for the SI/FanNation network covering collegiate sports, pro football and pro basketball.

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