Chance Gilbert, the state’s No. 4 prospect, shares why UGA is his top school

SHARPSBURG — Chance Gilbert has seen a lot of change in his recruiting the last four months. When February rolled around, he had Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Georgia Tech in mind.

The Yellow Jackets were fading, and Auburn was on the verge of overtaking them, the East Coweta High School standout said.

Things have changed a lot since then. Gilbert told DawgNation he has two official visits scheduled. His first will be to Georgia on May 29. He will then visit Auburn on June 5.

Clemson and Georgia Tech are out of the picture.

He’d still like to take an official visit to Alabama, but he hasn’t been able to schedule one yet.

Georgia has used the last four months to build up some steam with Gilbert. That’s why the state’s No. 4 prospect for 2027 views UGA as his top school heading into his official visits.

“When I think of them, I think of winning championships,” Gilbert said. “When I think of Georgia, I mean, they’re the No. 1 team on my board. The No. 1 team. So, when I think about them, I most definitely think about winning and me being developed as a man and as a player.”

He sees something “different” about UGA.

“When I go anywhere else, it is just — when you compare Georgia to other schools, I mean, you can get your answer when you just compare Georgia to other schools and stuff like that,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m going to commit there, but they have good expectations, good standards. They’re a winning team, and Kirby (Smart) is still there. So that’s a great sign for Georgia.”

He has a high opinion of the way UGA develops its players.

“It feels different,” he said. “The players are humongous. If you go there, you are going to get better. They’ve got 5-stars, a great team, great coaches, and you’re going to get better. I’ve never met someone who didn’t get better at Georgia.”

The UGA staff sees his 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame and projects Gilbert at cornerback. He’ll bring elite athleticism, ball skills and blinding speed to the position. He’s been rated nationally in the past as a safety, but the Rivals Industry Ranking now has him as the No. 8 cornerback prospect and at No. 55 overall.

He’s the nation’s No. 4 safety and No. 56 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Georgia having its top two 2027 cornerback commitments leave the class recently isn’t lost on him, either.

“I saw two cornerbacks decommit,” he said. “That’s a better opportunity for me, being in the class of 2027.”

Gilbert is projected by DawgNation to be the highest-rated prospect in the state the Bulldogs would sign this cycle. Langston Hughes 4-star offensive tackle Kelsey Adams, rated No. 10 in Georgia, is the only UGA commit among the state’s top-10 recruits.

“When I think of Georgia, I always think of stability and development,” Gilbert said. “You can’t go wrong with those two things. I mean, they’ve been doing that for years, and they’re pretty much the only team — not the only team, there are other teams out there, but the team that has the most great stability.”

Gilbert ran the 100 meters in 10.57 seconds his freshman year. He doesn’t run track anymore, but does go through some workouts with track team members. The rising senior said he thinks he would run a 10.2 in the 100 if he were still competing in spring track.

If asked by the UGA staff, he’d love to be an asset to the kick return game.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “That’s one of my favorite things to do: return kicks.”

Gilbert has had both of his labrums repaired in high school. He expects to be fully cleared by the end of July.

“Nobody I’ve talked to has questioned it,” East Coweta coach John Small said. “They were like, ‘It is all right. It is fine. We’ve got 18 guys a year getting (that surgery) after the season.’”