Marcus Satterfield raves over potential of Arik Gilbert

Nebraska offensive coordinator did not mince words and raved about tight end Arik Gilbert in the Huskers’ offense. Gilbert previously played for LSU and Georgia, but has yet to make a big impact at the college level.

Amid a transfer from LSU after a good freshman season, Gilbert played three games in two years with Georgia. He eventually stepped away from the team.

But Satterfield is confident in this new version of Gilbert out in Lincoln.

“He’s a freak man,” Satterfield said. “He’s super gifted, very, very good kid. Really gifted, flashes at times when he does things and it is just mind boggling to be that big and move your body like he does. So really excited where he’s going off the field and on the field.”

Satterfield mentioned Gilbert weighed around 270 to 280 pounds, an absurd size for an athletic tight end.

“Just maintain the focus on and off the field,” Satterfield said of what Gilbert needs to do to be successful. “Coming in and studying like he’s been doing, learning the offense and just putting him in situations where he can be successful. I think it’s as much on us as coaches as it is on him. The easy thing to say is ‘well he needs to do this to be successful.’ It’s ‘what do we need to do for him to allow him to be successful?’”

Gilbert started his college career at LSU, where he totaled 368 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in 2020. But things didn’t go as planned at Georgia, where he had just two receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown in three games in 2022 after stepping away from the team in 2021.

It was quite the drop in production for Gilbert, a former Five Star Plus+ recruit and the nation’s No. 5 prospect from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Still, head coach Matt Rhule said Gilbert brought a high level of talent to Lincoln, which is why he’s excited to work with him.

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“I just think he’s as talented a player as there is. He’s a player,” Rhule said. “What we want to do, like with all of our players, I want him in 10 years to say his life is better for having played with us at Nebraska. That’s all I care about with all these guys.”