Chargers 90-in-90: S Alohi Gilman

Born and raised in Laie, Hawaii, Alohi Gilman played his prep ball at nearby Kahuku High & Intermediate School. Coming out of high school, Gilman committed to continue his career with the United States Naval Academy where he played just one year as a freshman. He recorded 76 tackles and broke up five passes to earn Honorable Mention All-AAC honors.

Following that year in Anapolis, Gilman transferred to Notre Dame but was forced to sit out his sophomore campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. As a junior, Gilman earned a starting role and went on to start 13 games, racking up a career-high 95 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and five pass breakups.

As a senior in 2019, Gilman was named a team captain and started all 13 games. He finished with 74 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss, and a single sack to go along with an interception, two pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

Gilman was drafted by the Chargers with their sixth-round pick in 2020. As a rookie, he played mainly on special teams and finished with seven total tackles.

In his sophomore season, he recorded 42 tackles with a pass breakup and an interception while starting three games and playing in 11 total. He improved even further in year three with 58 tackles, three pass breakups, another interception, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

Basic Info

Height: 5’10
Weight: 201
College: Notre Dame
Experience: 3
Years with team: 3

Contract Status

“Alohi Gilman signed a 4 year, $3,483,204 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including a $187,876 signing bonus, $187,876 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $870,801. In 2023, Gilman will earn a base salary of $1,010,000, while carrying a cap hit of $1,056,969 and a dead cap value of $46,969.” - Spotrac.com

The Good

Gilman was lauded by former teammate Drue Tranquill following his drafting by the Chargers. Tranquill praised his leadership quality and overall football IQ, which likely played a big role in him landing with Los Angeles.

Over his past two seasons, Gilman’s contributions have been much more in line with “quality over quantity” as each of his two career interceptions have directly led to a Chargers victory.

Gilman is a steady player on the back end who most likely won’t wow you with his play, but he’s also not one to be on the wrong end of a penalty at the worst time, either.

The Bad

Gilman’s biggest drawbacks are likely his lack of elite athleticism (4.60 40, 32-inch vertical) and size (5’10). He’s got decent agility numbers but opposing offenses will be able to scheme him into a bad matchup with a speedster in an attempt to get over the top of the defense.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2023?

Gilman is set to start at free safety in the defensive backfield next to Derwin James after playing in a rotational role in his first three seasons. The young safety flashed at times in 2022 and is primed for his first big break in the NFL which could be a lot worse than playing next to an All-Pro every week.