Stephon Gilmore

Stephon Stiles Gilmore (born September 19, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).

He was the second cornerback selected behind Morris Claiborne and was the highest selected Gamecocks' cornerback since Dunta Robinson in 2004.

In track & field, Gilmore competed as a sprinter during his junior year in 2008.

He recorded a PR of 11.41 seconds in the 100 meters in the prelims of the Taco Bell Classic.

At the York County Meet, he took 5th in the 200 meters, at 23.14 seconds, and placed 9th in the 400 meters, with a time of 54.94 seconds.

He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m relay (43.10s) squad.

Gilmore graduated from South Pointe High School in December 2008 to enroll at the University of South Carolina early, and participate in spring practice.

It worked out, as he came out of spring as a starter at cornerback.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Gilmore was listed as the No. 2 overall prospect from South Carolina in the class of 2009.

He chose South Carolina over Alabama, Tennessee, and Clemson.

Appearing in all 12 games for the Gamecocks, Gilmore was the rare true freshman to start at cornerback in the Southeastern Conference in 2009.

He had 52 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, and nine passes defended, which earned him Freshman All-American honors by College Football News and Phil Steele.

He occasionally appeared on offense, with a career total of 3 attempted passes (2 complete) and 6 rushes during regular season games.

He also completed a 29-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery in the 4th quarter of the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Gilmore was one of 37 defensive backs to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana and completed all of the required combine drills.

He finished second among all defensive backs in the short shuttle, tied for fourth in the 40-yard dash and the three-cone drill, finished sixth in the broad jump, and seventh in the vertical jump.

He played college football at South Carolina and was selected 10th overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL draft.

On March 28, 2012, Gilmore attended South Carolina's pro day, along with Alshon Jeffery, Antonio Allen, Melvin Ingram, and 11 other prospects.

He opted to stand on his combine numbers and only run positional drills for scouts and team representatives from all 32 NFL teams, including then-New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Gilmore was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

He was ranked the second best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and NFL analyst Adam Rank.

The Buffalo Bills selected Gilmore in the first round (10th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft.

On May 17, 2012, the Bills signed Gilmore to a four-year, $12.08 million rookie contract that is fully guaranteed and also includes a signing bonus of $7.22 million with a fifth-year option.

Gilmore entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback, alongside Aaron Williams.

Head coach Chan Gailey named Gilmore and Williams the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.

Gilmore made his NFL debut and first career start in the Bills' season-opener at the Jets and recorded five combined tackles during a 48–28 road loss.

The following week, he recorded a season-high seven solo tackles in the Bills' 35–17 win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

On December 9, Gilmore collected two combined tackles and recorded his first NFL interception off of Sam Bradford during a 15–12 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Gilmore finished his rookie season with 61 combined tackles (52 solo), 16 pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games.

On April 3, 2013, Gilmore changed his jersey number from No. 27 to No. 24 after it became available due to the departure of Terrence McGee in free agency.

Gilmore spent his first five seasons with the Bills and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2016 before joining the New England Patriots.

During his four seasons with the Patriots, Gilmore was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 after leading the league in interceptions.

He also extended his Pro Bowl selections to four, received two first-team All-Pro selections, and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIII.

Gilmore spent the next season with the Carolina Panthers, where he received a fifth Pro Bowl selection, and joined the Indianapolis Colts before being traded to the Cowboys in 2023.

Gilmore attended South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he played football, basketball and ran track.

In football, he was a two-way player as quarterback and defensive back, and helped his team to a perfect 15–0 record and the SCHSL AAAA Division II title as a senior.

Among his teammates were DeVonte Holloman and Jadeveon Clowney.

Playing quarterback on offense, Gilmore rushed for 1,331 yards and 23 touchdowns and passed for 1,771 yards with 14 scores.

He earned first-team all-state honors by The State and was named an All-American by Parade and EA Sports.

He was also named Mr. Football for the state of South Carolina.