Stetson Bennett weighs in on the performance of Arik Gilbert, chemistry

Arik Gilbert is finally getting to show off his skills for the Georgia faithful after sitting out all of last season. The star tight end hauled in two touchdowns on three receptions for 49 yards during the spring game, making quarterback Stetson Bennett‘s job all that easier.

“First of all he’s a freak. Second of all, he knows football and he knows space,” Bennett said about his wide receiver. “Not just the two touchdown passes, but the one in the two-minute drill right before we kicked the field goal to end the game — great catches. [I’m looking forward to] getting that trust with him, getting to know where he’s going to be on the field.”

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In his return to the field at Georgia’s spring game, Arik Gilbert scored a quick touchdown out of the slot. After experimenting with a move to wide receiver before he stepped away in 2021, he has now returned full-time to the tight end position where he will play alongside Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington.

With one touchdown under their belts, Bennett’s second highlight hook up saw him connect with Gilbert in the back of the end zone for the touchdown, a highlight play the likes of which LSU fans have collectively been waiting to see for a while now.

“We didn’t run the right route,” Bennett admitted. “The DB’s back was turned and I just thought I’d give him a chance. It’s hard for them to make a play on the ball when their back’s turned. He went and got it.”

Gilbert came into college football as the No. 6 overall ranked prospect in the 2020 On3 Consensus and ranked No. 1 at the tight end spot. The Georgia native was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team at LSU after posting 35 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he’s finally on the field, he will look to play a major role alongside Bennett in head coach Kirby Smart’s offense this season.

“Arik’s done a great job integrating back into the team,” Smart said, via On3’s 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.’”