Jayhawks extend offer to Jayson Gilliom

Jayson Gilliom just picked up an offer from Kansas, but he isn’t a new name on their recruiting board. The defensive back from Georgia has been on the Jayhawks radar for a long time.

He has been talking to safeties Jordan Peterson since the spring and over the weekend picked up an offer.

“I've been talking to coach Peterson a lot,” Gilliom said. “I really like him. I liked the vibe I get from him. I like what he's told me and how he coaches. I have a really, good relationship with Coach Peterson.

Gilliom said he has been talking with Peterson since March and has also talked with Chevis Jackson. The Kansas staff knew about Gilliom because North Gwinnett’s head coach Bill Stewart reached out to them.

Most of Gilliom’s film is at cornerback where he plays in high school. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds college coaches have told him he could play corner or safety. The Kansas staff is looking more at the safety spot.

“Coach Peterson likes my size and my ability to cover,” he said. “He also believes I'm big enough to come up and fill the run too. He sees me in multiple ways as a safety.”

Gilliom has a good source of information when it comes to the Kansas program. He’s close friends with Trey Staley who is committed to the Jayhawks.

Staley is another reason Gilliom is happy to earn the offer from Kansas. The two got to know each other when they trained together.

“Me and Trey go way back,” Gilliom said. “That's one of the reasons why I'm really excited about this offer. He's a really good friend of mine. He's been talking about Kansas for a while.”

Kansas is the first Power Five offer for Gilliom, who said he is going to continue to look into each school.

“I'm just going to keep doing the research on schools and keep building relationships with the coaches,” Gilliom said. “Keep doing virtual tours and FaceTimes and everything I can in my power just to try to get the best experience right now, since we can't take official visits and have coaches come down to see games. I'm just trying to make the best of what I have right now.”

What Gilliom does have is a new offer to Kansas and he’s going to give the Jayhawks a close look.

“I know I really like Kansas,” he said. “I really like the program and the coaches.”