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Georgia tight end Arik Gilbert involved in car crash ahead of season opener

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•08/29/22•

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Steve Limentani | ISI Photos | Getty Images

With Georgia’s season opener against Oregon just days away, one of their star players was involved in a scary moment today. Bulldogs tight end Arik Gilbert was involved in a car accident on Georgia’s campus earlier on Monday.

Sources told Radi Nabulsi of UGA Sports that Gilbert was unharmed in the accident while his Mercedes was not as fortunate.

Gilbert caught 35 passes for 368 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a freshman at LSU in 2020. He missed his first season in Athens due to personal reasons but was with the team in the spring and is expected to be a solid weapon for the Bulldogs in 2022. With not much else known about the incident, the most important tidbit is that Gilbert was unharmed.

Arik Gilbert coming into his own in fall camp as part of talented tight end room

Georgia tight end Arik Gilbert came into Athens with high expectations. As a former Peach State high school standout, folks across the state remembered what he was capable of. Those hopes went down the drain last season as Gilbert stepped away from the team and did not play. His return this spring has brought those feelings right back. He had a big G-Day performance too to turn the expectations up to 11. Kirby Smart offered an update on where Gilbert is as he looks to make an impact on the Bulldogs.

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“Arik’s done a good job. He understands his assignments,” Smart said. “In the spring, he got thrust into things a whole lot more in terms of reps and volume…We couldn’t do two-spot in the spring as much. We’ve been able to do more two-spot, so that has helped. Darnell (Washington) coming off the injury, Brock (Bowers) coming off the injury, Delp coming off the mid-year, and Arik as well, we get a lot more reps. He has to be able to sustain. He’s developing as a special teams player also – it’s something he has not done as much before.”

Gilbert’s name, despite not playing football for almost two years, shows up on early countdowns of the best players in College Football and the best prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft ahead of the season. That’s because of what he’s capable of doing, which he showed in year one at LSU.

SEC head coaches named Gilbert to the Freshman All-SEC Team. He started all eight games in which he played, catching 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns. Of his 35 catches, 24 resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. Of those 24, 11 came on either third or fourth down. Gilbert was a former five-star and No. 1-ranked tight end in the Class of 2020.

As Smart points out, the major concern isn’t on the field. That falls on making sure Gilbert feels comfortable in his environment off the field and his ability to contribute to the team.

“I’m always a lot more concerned with Arik’s well-being mentally, than his well-being just on knowing assignments and what to do,” Smart said. “That’s the most important thing is that he feels comfortable with our team and can help us.”

Gilbert is one of several talented players in Georgia’s tight end room including the No. 2-ranked tight end from each of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes in Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp.