Stanford safety Alaka’i Gilman, left, intercepts a pass intended for Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter in the end zone in overtime of an NCAA college football game early Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) | David Zalubowski, Associated Press
Back in 2019, Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was one of many coaches trying to secure the commitment of up-and-coming three-star safety Alaka’i Gilman.
It was hard for Gilman to pass up Stanford, though.
After choosing David Shaw and the Cardinal, Gilman played 32 games at Stanford, growing into a starting role by his fourth season in the program.
The Honolulu, Hawaii, product started nine games at safety for Stanford last season before missing the final three games of the campaign, finishing the season with 50 tackles, an interception and four pass deflections. He earned an All-Pac-12 honorable mention nod for his play in 2023.
After four years in Palo Alto, which he said he appreciated, Gilman felt like he needed a change and something new. He entered his name into the transfer portal, and it couldn’t have been better timing for Utah, which had two open safety spots after Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki declared for the NFL draft.
Scalley, who Gilman already had a relationship with, recruited him for a second time, laying out the situation in the safety room at Utah. Along with the departures of Bishop and Vaki, safeties Jadon Pearson and Darrien “Bleu” Stewart entered the transfer portal.
As Gilman looks to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Alohi, who is a safety with the Los Angeles Chargers, he felt Utah could get him ready for the next level.
“In terms of developing guys for the next level, this is probably one of the best places that are known for putting out defense players, and so I was excited to be able to be…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/showing-lot-promise-four-years-004554835.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-03-26 00:45:54
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