Kelvin Gilliam Follows Damond Harmon's Lead, Commits to Oklahoma
Damond Harmon and Kelvin Gilliam became teammates and friends in fifth grade.
However, as they prepare to graduate high school and experience their first taste of adulthood, their circumstances are set to change dramatically. They’ll start new journeys over a thousand miles away from their homes in Virginia.
But the old elementary school pals will still share the same football field.
After Harmon committed to Oklahoma on Aug. 1, Gilliam followed suit Saturday evening, pledging to the Sooners in a televised announcement. The four-star defensive end is the latest addition in a surging 2021 recruiting class for OU, as Lincoln Riley and his staff own fourteen total commitments in the cycle.
The Sooners now boast a phenomenal foursome of 2021 defensive end commits, as Gilliam joins Ethan Downs, Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge and Clayton Smith.
Gilliam confirmed that both he and Harmon had been silent commits for several months, but that Harmon’s decision came first. Gilliam spent a good deal of time splitting hairs between Oklahoma and Penn State, but the Sooners won out in the end.
“Damond’s decision was before mine,” Gilliam said. “Damond shot me a text that said, ‘I’m ready to make my [commitment] video.’ And I knew where he was going; he’d already told me. But I told him, I said, ‘It’s down between Oklahoma and Penn State for me.’
“And I kept praying, asking God for a sign. I would wake up one morning and Oklahoma was in the lead, then wake up the next morning and Penn State was in the lead. So it was all crazy… [But] the last couple months, it’s always been Oklahoma and then the rest.”
Harmon, an SI1000 defensive back who also had interest from Penn State, is thrilled to have his old friend along for their new adventure in Norman.
“Being that we’ve played together since grade school, we’re going to keep the same attitude we’ve been having,” Harmon said. “They (Oklahoma) know what they’re getting out of us, and the guys coming in with us, guys like Latrell [McCutchin], we’re going to try to bring a new attitude to the defense. And we’ll try to win a national championship.”
Gilliam and Harmon both told SI Sooners that academics played a significant role in their respective decisions. Harmon has the utmost respect for Gilliam’s work ethic on and off the field, and believes he’ll be a perfect fit in Oklahoma’s rigorous environment.
“Kelvin has always been a hard worker, but once we got to high school, he just took it all to another level,” recalled Harmon. “Whether we were in the weight room or the classroom, he excelled. He really put the hard work and the time in to get where he’s at now, and a program like Oklahoma’s gonna help him even more with those things. They’re going to push him even harder in the classroom and the weight room.”
As for his niche along the Oklahoma defensive line, Gilliam says that he’s begun to hash out his potential role with former Sooners defensive end and current assistant coach Calvin Thibodeaux.
“Coach Thibs and me, we sat down and watched some film of how he actually sees me,” Gilliam said. “We watched guys like Ronnie Perkins, Jalen Redmond, Neville Gallimore. He just sees that I can do all those abilities, and as a defensive line player, that was very intriguing for me.”
Alex Grinch and his staff have made versatility a particular emphasis in the Sooners’ Speed D vision, and Gilliam fits the bill with his speed and physique. He moves with remarkable dexterity for someone who boasts a 6-foot-4, 280-pound frame, and could slide to the interior of the defensive line or provide pressure off the edge.
“I’m not a defensive end. I’m not a defensive tackle. I’m a defensive lineman,” Gilliam remarked. “So at Oklahoma, you’re gonna see me play a 6 technique, a 5 technique, a 3 technique. I’m not down to one position. That’s why I chose Oklahoma, because they’re not going to keep me down to just playing a 3 technique as a defensive tackle. So they’re going to move me all across the defensive line.”
In Harmon’s eyes, Gilliam can - and will - excel at any position along the line. His athleticism and mechanical sharpness allow him to overpower opposing linemen with power or finesse.
“He’s a very good athlete, which people don’t know because he plays D-end,” Harmon noted. “He’s just a crazy athlete and he’s so fast that he’ll probably be way faster than the lineman trying to block him. And he has great feet as well.”
Gilliam may be the Sooners’ newest defensive commit, but he certainly won’t be the last. He hinted that several more pledges are on the way, and indicated that he’ll help recruit more of his peers to Norman to play for Riley and Grinch.
“Oklahoma’s defense is Speed D for real,” Gilliam said. “So we’re bringing in guys that are big and athletic on the defensive side of the front, and guys in the secondary who are coming in to play right away. … You can see that the guys I’ll be playing with, like Clayton Smith, Latrell, Damond - we’re all coming in to influence this defense.”
Gilliam’s announcement occurred in coincidence with the long-anticipated Sooner Summit, so he and Harmon weren’t able to participate in the recruiting rendezvous orchestrated by Caleb Williams. However, Gilliam did say that despite the schedule conflict, he’s planning to visit campus in the not-too-distant future.
“Me and Damond will be up there within the next month or so to see the place, see the facilities,” he said. “It’s building that bond, so that when we come in, it’s all gas and no brakes.”
Several players involved with the Sooner Summit come from the DMV area, including five-star offensive lineman Tristan Leigh. Gilliam and Harmon hail from Highland Springs, Va., and Williams is a Washington, D.C. native.
Though there’s still much to be decided before signing day in December, Gilliam seems to believe that at least a few more of his DMV peers are Norman-bound. Oklahoma is actively targeting several more players within the region, including Leigh and three-star safety Daymon David.
“It’s so great that we’re getting guys that are from this DMV area,” Gilliam said. “So we’re going to [continue to] get guys; probably guys like Tristan Leigh can come with us.
“Oklahoma always told me, especially Coach Riley, that they have to go out and recruit guys outside of Oklahoma. So they’re going to build a place that is home for us, and they’re going to make it home for us as much as possible. And that’s what intrigued me, especially on the virtual tour.”
Meanwhile, Harmon name-dropped a four-star wideout whom Caleb Williams has been recruiting fervently.
“We want Jalil Farooq bad,” said Harmon. “These other guys from the DMV area too, we’re trying to recruit them and get them with us.”
Farooq, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Upper Marlboro, Md., appears to be leaning heavily towards Oklahoma. He’s set to make his commitment decision on Sept. 27. With Leigh and David also in the equation, the Sooners are well positioned to score up to a half-dozen DMV-area recruits.
With so many prestigious college football programs in much closer proximity to the DMV, what on earth is the draw to a school halfway across the country?
When presented with that very question, Harmon didn’t mince words.
“I feel like a lot of guys choose to stay close to home because they’re scared of competition,” he stated flatly. “I feel like Oklahoma’s a constant winner and everybody works hard in the program, which is what we come from in the DMV area. When you go to Oklahoma, you know you’re going to fight for a spot. You know you’re going to be in big games every year. If you want competition, that’s the place to go.”
Admittedly, neither Harmon nor Gilliam will have an easy route to playing time for the Sooners. Oklahoma is now four deep with both defensive linemen and defensive backs in the 2021 class. Additionally, the NCAA is set to defer a year of eligibility to all FBS players in 2020, so Harmon and Gilliam figure to have added competition from players that otherwise would have graduated.
But you’d be hard-pressed to find two players more suited for the climb than the Highland Springs duo. Gilliam said his goal is to become a freshman All-American, and Harmon says they’ve got a little extra fuel on their fire as of late.
“It’s definitely a challenge, and we’re accepting it,” said Harmon. “A lot of colleges that recruited us are really mad that we decided to go to Oklahoma, and they’re throwing shots our way. And so when we beat them and win a national championship, it’s going to be even better because we’re throwing it back in the faces of the college coaches that bashed us, and we’re throwing it back in the faces of the people who hate us for going.”
How’s that for motivation?
Harmon didn’t name the schools and/or coaches that gave him and Gilliam flak for choosing the Sooners. Despite the vitriol, he’s thankful to have found his home at Oklahoma, and he’s ready to give his all for the crimson and cream.
“They’re all just family, man,” Harmon said of the Sooner staff. “They keep it real 100 percent of the time. We’re gonna have to come in and fight, and they’re going to make sure we’re doing that every single day as soon as we touch down on campus.”
As for Gilliam, he’s proud to be the newest member of the #LincUpXXI class, and he’s ready to get to work alongside other standout players that share his vision.
“That’s what is so special about this class,” he said. “We’re all coming in with the same mindset - to come in, play early, and win championships.”
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