Five years later, Wilson grad Isaiah Gilmore realizes his football dream

Isaiah Gilmore felt he could play at the Division I level coming out of high school.

He was an All-State defensive back at Wilson and helped the Bulldogs win a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title as a senior in 2018. He was Defensive Back of the Year in Section 1 and picked to play in the PSFCA East-West game.

Coaches from Villanova, Colgate, Fordham, Temple and others considered him for their respective programs. None offered a scholarship.

“I thought I could play (at) that level,” said Gilmore, “and I don’t think it ever left my mind.”

Five years later he is finally getting that a chance. After earning second-team all-conference honors as a safety at Shippensburg this season Gilmore placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

His phone lit up. One of the calls, ironically, came from New Hampshire, a school that did an in-home visit with him following his senior year at Wilson.

When the Wildcats came calling again they did so with a full scholarship offer; Gilmore, with his undergraduate degree in hand and one year of athletic eligibility remaining, gladly accepted.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me,” he said.

Gilmore will enroll at New Hampshire in January. He’ll work toward a master’s degree in either kinesiology or nutrition and have a chance to challenge himself against the top players in the Coastal Athletic Conference. He played four seasons with the Red Raiders in the Pennsylvania Conference (the 2020 season, his second year there, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.)

“I’m really excited for it, especially for someone who felt I could’ve played Division I football coming out of high school,” Gilmore said.

“Isaiah is a dynamic defensive back who has been dominant from the free safety position,” New Hampshire head coach Rick Santos said in a statement announcing Gilmore’s addition to the program. “He has great knowledge of the game, and it is evident that he understands offensive schemes with how quickly he can diagnose plays.

“He is athletic enough to come off the hash and make plays on the ball and has the courage to play downhill and be a factor in the run game.”

“I have a lot of college football experience at this point,” said Gilmore, who started 20 games at Shippensburg the last two seasons. “New Hampshire wants an older guy, with a high (football) IQ, to come in and be a leader.”

Gilmore was third on the team in tackles this season and led the Raiders with 34 solos. He seems to plays his best against Kutztown: He had a career-high 11 tackles against the Golden Bears this season and picked off two passes against them in last year’s game.

Gilmore said that once he got to Shippensburg he realized the high caliber of play in the PSAC and put thoughts of playing at a higher level on the shelf.

“First, I wanted to prove myself to my team,” he said. “Then, make my name bigger. Proving to myself that, just because I’m not playing Division I football doesn’t mean I can’t play at a high level.

“I had to swallow some pride (at first). Then you realize that this is good football. There’s a lot of dudes who can play. I mean Tyson Bagent is somebody who just came out of our conference. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played (against) in my life, and he’s playing (quarterback) with the (Chicago) Bears right now.”

Since committing to New Hampshire Gilmore has been watching video of this seasons’ games and studying the players he’ll be competing against. He is confident he’ll fit in at the FCS level.

“Physically, I think I match up very well,” he said. “It’s not like these dudes are doing things I can’t do. It comes down to coaching and confidence in your own self. I don’t see a gigantic difference with the (speed of the) receivers. The name of the game is playing fast and physical.

“I’ve played against dudes who played at Temple, at Power Five schools. At the end of the day, football is football. I’m excited for the challenge.”

Gilmore is looking forward to joining a winning program. That wasn’t the case at Shippensburg, which went 8-14 the past two seasons and 19-23 over his four seasons.

New Hampshire went 6-5 this season, finishing behind Villanova, Albany, Richmond, Delaware, and Elon in the conference standings. The Wildcats went 9-4 and shared the conference title with William & Mary in 2022.

“The New Hampshire roster (has) a lot of dudes (who) can play,” Gilmore said. “It’s exciting being in an environment and culture that’s about winning. The goal is a national championship and I’m excited to be a part of it. They’re heavy on culture. That’s something as a player that I’ve been looking for.”

Gilmore said the most important thing for him was earning a scholarship.

“It’s nice that it’s Division I,” he said, “but my main thing was getting everything paid for. I’m just happy that my parents don’t have to pay for anything. I’ve accomplished a dream.”