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Kilgore brothers: Jalon and Gerald. CONTRIBUTED
Putnam County’s football program has found its most success in recent memory over the last couple of years, and rising senior Jalon Kilgore has been instrumental in making that happen.
Before head coach Shaun Pope arrived at the school in 2018, the War Eagles finished with a winning record just once during the previous six-year stretch. When Kilgore arrived on campus in 2019, the War Eagles quickly turned things around.
Pope remembered the day when the Kilgore family moved into the area.
“Jalon was in middle school and the family lived out in Milledgeville, but his dad was a pastor in town,” he said. “A couple years later, he decided to move his family up to Putnam and he wanted to be more involved in the community and the program.”
The class of 2023 fourstar safety, who also plays wide receiver, has always had his family play a major role in his development both on and off the field.
Jalon’s older brother, Gerald Kilgore, was the quarterback for Putnam during the 2020 season when the War Eagles finally got over the hump and secured the team’s first winning season since 2015.
After going 9-1 during the regular season, the War Eagles lost in the opening round of the 2020 GHSA State Tournament, but that didn’t slow down Jalon’s progression. Last season, the connection with his brother was unquestionable and unmatched.
The Kilgore-to-Kilgore pairing added 34 receptions for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns to a potent War Eagles’ offense, which eventually won Putnam County the Region 4-AA championship after finishing with a perfect 10-0 regular-season record.
Jalon acknowledged his brother’s journey helped his own development as a player.
“(Gerald) actually stopped playing football. He took off his eighth-grade year and his freshman year, then came back his sophomore year and battled it out for the quarterback spot,” Kilgore said. “Just him being off, and then coming back after playing baseball and getting his arm stronger, really helped both of us.”
Upon completing his final year at PCHS, Jalon has verbally committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks to further his football career at the next level.
It took only one visit to Columbia for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Kilgore to realize he had found his second football home. “The first time I got up there, I knew that’s where I was going,” Jalon said. “If I didn’t get another offer that day, it would have been perfectly fine. It was the vibe. As soon as you got into the city you could see the stadium, and the facilities were great.”
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray were among those who helped influence Kilgore to make his decision, but nothing resonated more than his faith.
Kilgore understands the stakes are higher now that he’s a highly-touted recruit, but says he won’t change through the process.
“I have a big ‘X’ on my back now, so I know a lot of guys will be coming at me with a lot of trash talk to try to get me out of my game,” Jalon said. “I just have to learn how to keep my cool, just play through the process and put my trust in God.”
With the sting of a tough loss to last year’s eventual state champion Fitzgerald still on his mind, there’s no doubt Kilgore will work hard to see if he can help the War Eagles become top dogs of Class 2-A this season.