Jardin Gilbert out after shoulder surgery, Noah Thomas expected back against Arkansas

Texas A&M pulled out a win in their first SEC game of the season this past weekend defeating Auburn 27-10. And as they look to build on that momentum this weekend in a matchup against Arkansas, Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher provided some key injury updates regarding his squad. Starting with safety Jardin Gilbert.

“Jardin had his surgery on his shoulder, so he’ll be out for a while,” Fisher said.

Gilbert suffered an injury to his shoulder in Texas A&M’s previous game versus Louisiana-Monroe, which clearly was a severe one requiring a procedure. He started 10 games last season for the Aggies and one this season, ranking second on the team in solo tackles in 2023 along with four passes defended and two interceptions.

The junior was a four-star prospect out of University Lab High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ranked the No. 13 safety in the nation and the No. 8 player in the state of Louisiana according to On3’s Industry Ranking. Fisher wasn’t specific on his timeline regarding a return to play, but his presence in the secondary will definitely be missed for however long he’s out for the Aggies.

Gilbert’s injury news may have been negative, but Fisher did reveal some promising injury information regarding the status of starting wide receiver Noah Thomas.

“Noah should be good, should be ready to go,” Fisher said.

Thomas missed Texas A&M’s last game against Auburn after suffering a lower-body injury versus Louisiana-Monroe, but will be returning to action for the Aggies’ second conference game of the season.

Thomas earned the Aggies’ Offensive MVP award of spring practice and continued to build on that during the season. He still leads the team with four receiving touchdowns following a three-touchdown performance in the team’s opener versus New Mexico, and has added 10 receptions for 112 yards to his stat line so far in his sophomore season.

The return of Thomas will be pivotal for the Aggies’ passing game, as they just got back leading wide receiver Evan Stewart from injury as well who recorded three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown versus Auburn.

The passing attack of LSU was crucial in the Tigers’ win over Arkansas in their last game, and the duo of Thomas and Stewart together can definitely have an impact against a Razorback secondary that’s currently giving up 231.3 yards per game in the air so far this season.