KJ Gillespie

Position:
Defensive End
Height:
6-2
Weight:
242
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Mooresville, N.C.
High School:
Mooresville

Played defensive end for coach Zach Mayo at Mooresville High … earned all-conference defensive end honors as a junior … helped lead Mooresville to a 9-3 record and advance to the third round of the North Carolina’s 7A playoffs (the second largest of the state’s eight classes) … as a senior, finished with 44 tackles, including eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, one interception, 50 quarterback hurries, one fumble recovered and two blocked punts … for his career, he’s totaled 186 tackles, 53 tackles for loss and 23 sacks … as a junior, he registered 61 tackles, including eight sacks, 25 tackles for loss, 20 quarterback hurries, three fumble recoveries and blocked kick … top performance was against Lake Norman as he collected seven tackles, including two sacks and had four tackles for loss … as a sophomore, he finished with 55 tackles, five sacks and 12 tackles for loss, while as a freshman, he was credited with 14 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss … three-star rating by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals … ranked No. 23 in North Carolina and No. 82 at defensive line by ESPN … rated No. 35 in North Carolina and No. 88 nationally as an edge rusher … ranked No. 36 in North Carolina and the No. 103 defensive end nationally by 247Sports … also pitches and plays outfield for Mooresville’s baseball team … also offered by Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Appalachian State, Jacksonville State, JMU, Liberty, Old Dominion, USF and Troy.