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 in the Classic City – and 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, but 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. After Georgia’s second scrimmage of preseason practice, head coach Kirby Smart offered an update on where Gilbert is at as he looks to make an impact on the Bulldogs this fall.
“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 of reps. With the other guys being healthy and (Oscar) Delp being further along…we couldn’t do two-spot in the spring as much. We didn’t have enough guys. We’ve been able to do more two-spot, so that’s 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.
Gilbert was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team as voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches. 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, a former five-star and No. 1-ranked tight end in the Class of 2020 out of the Atlanta area, caught two passes in his first collegiate game against Mississippi State including his first touchdown. He had a career-high six catches for 97 yards against Missouri, including a 25-yard touchdown catch. He led LSU in receiving against Auburn with 55 yards on six catches and also hauled in five passes against both Alabama and Arkansas.
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In his return to the field this spring, Gilbert caught three passes for 49 yards. Two of those went for touchdowns while the third was a 27-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal. It’s that kind of stat line that has folks excited about what he’s capable of doing. But as Smart points out, the major concern isn’t on the field. That falls on making sure he 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 included the No. 2-ranked tight end from each of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes in Darnell Washington, Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp.
