Arik Gilbert headlines deep Georgia wide receiver group in 2021

Georgia suffered an early setback when wide receiver George Pickens tore his ACL during spring practice in March but rebounded with the addition of transfer Arik Gilbert. Gilbert is a former 5-star tight end who has undergone a transformation this offseason, moving to wide receiver. Georgia combines a mix of returning veterans and young talent around its new offensive cornerstone.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken spoke about the depth at wide receiver and the emergence of Gilbert during his Thursday press conference.

Arik Gilbert’s transition

Georgia landed the former LSU player and Florida commit on June 1 with the idea to convert him to wide receiver.

“I think he has adapted well,” said Monken. “He’s a special talent because he’s in the Brock Bowers mode, he’s athletic enough to play receiver, but big enough to do some things on the interior. He’s a size matchup, he’s a run after catch guy. He loves to play the game. We’re excited that he’s a part of our program.”

Gilbert had 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns in eight games for LSU as a freshman. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound hybrid threat lined up in a variety of spots on and off the line of scrimmage.

Wide receiver depth

Monken is confident in the depth at Georgia, despite the loss of Pickens. He brings back several players he trusted in big spots last season.

“Well, Jermaine Burton returns as a starter, you got Kearis Jackson as a guy that is coming back, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is coming off an injury, those are the three guys that are coming back that have probably played the most football,” said Monken.

In addition to his returning contributors, Monken is excited about the progress and skillsets he has seen from the younger and less experienced players fighting for snaps.

“AD (Adonai) Mitchell, we think is going to be a tremendous player here,” said Monken. “You know Arian Smith has a unique skill set that can really run, he is developing other aspects of his game, he is really quick and twitchy. So, he is not somebody who is a straight run track guy — but he is developing his traits and there are days where you see flashes. I think Justin Robinson has improved dramatically. I think Jaylen Johnson is going to add to add to that group. Ladd McConkey has made some plays.

“So, you lose one guy, and it is what it is, the other guys get a chance to step up and that is why you recruit players that have talent.

More on the offense

The pass catching ability of the running backs and tight ends add another element to the offense, complementing the work of the wide receivers.

“You are moving guys around and we are just trying to find the best combination of guys-which including, you’re talking about Arik (Gilbert), and the tight ends, and we have the running backs you know,” Monken said. “We can’t forget that we’ve got some really talented guys to get potentially multiple backs on the field at once.”