Fans already familiar with Gilmore

Most offseasons, Stephon Gilmore holds a football camp back home in Rock Hill, S.C. This year, however, the Patriots newcomer decided to change things up.

“I’ve never done a camp in the city I was playing in, but I told myself I wanted to do one where I played,” Gilmore told the Herald recently. “You can touch a lot more people who don’t know a lot about you, or don’t have that much opportunity to be around you.”

Except, much to Gilmore’s surprise, three months after signing a free agent contract with the Super Bowl champions, the former Buffalo Bills cornerback is already recognizable in these parts. He can’t go anywhere without a Pats fan giving him a shout, which added to his desire to do the camp here.

“It’s a fun thing to be out there around kids that look up to you, and know you’re a Patriot player,” he said. “I mean, the Patriots are so big, you work with the kids, you talk with the kids, it’s just a fun opportunity.”

Gilmore claimed he was much more anonymous with the Bills.

“Yeah, I’m recognized here. It’s real crazy. I see it every time I go out,” he said. “Even when I go to the store, if I go to Target or a Red Sox game, it’s totally different. Everybody knows you. The fan base is so big. Sometimes, you can’t walk by yourself like I normally could do in the previous place I was at. They all love their football.”

So, he’s getting his face out there even more with a one-day youth football camp on July 22 in Reading at Austin Prep (www.StephonGilmorefootballcamp.com). Gilmore will work on fundamentals and skills with the kids, and there will be a flag football tournament to conclude the day.

“I’ll show the kids some fundamentals, the right way to do drills, and we’ll have fun,” Gilmore said.