Kirby Smart announces position change for Arik Gilbert

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart announced that Arik Gilbert, who was first moved to wide receiver when he came to Athens last season, will be moving back to his original position of tight end.

Gilbert stepped away from the team in 2021 after dealing with what Smart labeled “personal issues” in August. He recently rejoined the team following its national championship campaign and should be a full participant for Georgia moving forward. Gilbert — who initially committed to LSU out of high school as a tight end — has since flirted with a position change to wide receiver. It appears as though he will remain a tight end, per Smart.

“He’s a tight end,” Smart said on Thursday. “That’s probably what he’s going to develop at.”

Gilbert in his freshman season at LSU amassed 35 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns, appearing largely as a tight end. He did, however, start at wide receiver for the Tigers against Alabama, a game in which he reeled in five receptions for 29 yards.

Gilbert prepped at Marietta High School and developed into a Five-Star Plus+ recruit, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting cycle, as well as the No. 1 recruit coming out of the state of Georgia. After his freshman season at LSU, he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, deciding to stay close to home at Georgia. He did not appear in a game for the Bulldogs after taking a step away from the program.

“Arik is not back. He’s still continuing his journey, and hopefully he’s going to get back,” Smart said, after Gilbert had stepped away. We’re communicating with him, and everybody is pulling for him. But I don’t know the answer to when — or if — he’ll be back.”

Smart’s tone regarding Gilbert has completely changed, though, as it appears Georgia will have a budding star return to the lineup this season.

“Arik’s done a great job integrating back into the team,” Smart said, via DawgsHQ. “He’s been here for a while now. He’s done the work we’ve asked of him. He’s doing well academically.

“We don’t place that burden on anybody. I think sometimes they put it on themselves, sometimes social media does it, sometimes media in general do it. But for whatever reason, Arik’s a guy that’s carried a lot of that burden with him in terms of expectations. Our expectation of Arik is for him to be the best person he can be first and foremost, and hopefully be the best player he can be. He’s had a really good offseason. He continues to work, but that doesn’t put an expectation of ‘this guy’s going to go out there and set the world on fire.’”