State’s No. 4 prospect Chance Gilbert makes stunning commitment to Auburn
East Coweta’s Chance Gilbert, a major UGA target for the 2027 class at cornerback, has made a sudden and surprising commitment to Auburn.
Gilbert, who clearly stated that UGA was his leader heading into his official visit to UGA last week, committed to the Tigers on Monday evening on the heels of his official visit.
It was quite a journey for Auburn. When Gilbert was looking at his decision back in late January, he had four teams in mind.
Auburn was not one of those. But the Tigers kept climbing in his mind as Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia Tech all fell off. The Bulldogs were the only constant.
The Under Armour All-American is the nation’s No. 4 safety and the No. 56 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 4 CB and No. 55 overall.
Gilbert, seen by many as the highest-rated in-state recruit most likely to eventually commit to UGA, now becomes the second-highest-rated commitment in the 2027 Auburn class.
There are a few things to note here. The first is that Georgia saw Gilbert as a cornerback. Auburn projects him to play safety.
This recruitment is definitely not over, either. The expectation is that the Bulldogs will continue to put in the effort to flip the 6-foot-1, 170-pound rising senior. Gilbert is definitely talented enough for the Dawgs to play the long game in this recruiting process.
Auburn likely had a stronger financial offer on the table for Gilbert, but there’s one additional aspect of this decision that did favor the Tigers.
That was their campus location. The Auburn campus is only about 50 minutes away from his home in Sharpsburg. That’s one thing that really mattered to Gilbert in his recruiting process.
He wanted to stay close to home. Auburn is about an hour closer to his hometown than Athens.
With this commitment, Auburn snags the No. 2 prospect on the weekly DawgNation “Before the Hedges” streaming program. Look for Georgia to continue to recruit Gilbert at the cornerback spot, along with priority target Jayden Aparicio-Bailey in Alabama.
Bailey is the No. 1 remaining top target on the weekly “Hedges” program.
Gilbert was regarded by both national services as the No. 4 target in Georgia this cycle. The state’s three highest-rated prospects are committed, one to Ohio State, and two to Texas A&M.
He’s now committed to Auburn. Howard High safety Ta’Shawn Poole is the No. 5 prospect in the state. The Bulldogs have never really prioritized the Macon-area standout in his process.
There are still comebacks and big surprises on the recruiting trail these days. The decision Gilbert made here definitely qualifies as one of those.
About the Author
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and recruiting. He is a graduate of UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and has been a staff writer at news outlets in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was at The Birmingham News and AL.com. He was named the 2005 Georgia Press Association Sportswriter of the Year.
