Justin Gilbert

Gilbert has the ideal build for a cornerback.

“If you could make a corner, you’d want him the size of Justin Gilbert,” says Jones. “About 6-foot, 195. He’s a 4.3 (second) 40 guy, so he can run. So if you could go out and just pick what you want, that’s what you want. He’s big enough where he can play with big receivers who’re 6’3”, 6’4”. He’s fast enough where he can run with them, and he still possesses that quickness where he can change direction and move from side to side and transition smoothly. That’s what you want in a defensive back.”

Unlike Brown, Gilbert was not a corner while attending high school in Huntsville, Texas. In fact, he had not played a down as cornerback until setting foot on the OSU campus. To be mentioned as the best corner in the country two years later by an ESPN analyst is no mean feat.

“I watched him play on a Friday night,” says Jones. “He was a quarterback, but if they needed to throw the ball, they brought in another guy and lined Gilbert up at wide receiver. If they had to punt, he punted it. He returned kicks. He returned punts. The water boy would run out onto the field to give him water. He never left the field.”

He’s come a long way in two seasons.

“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” says Brown. “He’s only been doing this for two years? He’s still developing. He’s starting to get a good feel for being a corner, and still has a lot of room for improvement. But he has his mind made up that he’s a pure corner now, instead of a guy who returns kicks. He’s committed.”

“With it being one of the hardest positions to play, I feel fortunate to get to play it at this level,” says Gilbert. “The transition from quarterback to cornerback has been a long, bumpy road, but I think I’m catching on pretty well.”

In addition to coaching from Jones and his current and former teammates, Gilbert has studied some of the positions greats, such as Charles Woodson and Deion Sanders.