Kirby Smart explains why Arik Gilbert traveled for Missouri game
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia tight end Arik Gilbert made the trip to Missouri with his teammates over the weekend but didn’t dress. It appears he didn’t count against the team’s 70-man roster because, with him included, Georgia had 71 players in Columbia. Either way, he was able to be on the sidelines with the Bulldogs for their 26-22 win over the Tigers on Saturday night. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart explained why that was important for the redshirt sophomore out of Marietta, Ga. on Monday.
“The thinking is the keep him with us,” Smart said. “We’re trying to develop him and bring him along. It’s important that he is there for meetings, walk throughs, being there with us, being with the team, being part of that connection. He’s got a great rapport with players. That’s why he was there.”
Gilbert has dealt with off-field struggles since arriving on campus in Athens over a year ago. He stepped away from football last season to handle those and returned to the team in the spring. Then he participated in spring practice and was a standout from Georgia’s G-Day spring scrimmage with three catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Gilbert was assumed to be a big part of the Bulldogs’ tight end plans for the 2022 season but has since only played in two games to date, both in mop-up duty. Kirby Smart has often been asked about Gilbert’s participation as a result and recently shared that they were taking things day to day with him and his situation.
“He’s going to be day-to-day throughout the week,” Smart said after Gilbert didn’t make the trip with the team to South Carolina two weeks ago.
“All I can say is he didn’t make the trip for personal reasons,” Smart added after that game. “Hoping he gets back with us.”
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Most recently, Smart spoke about Gilbert on Wednesday during the SEC Coaches Teleconference call and said that he had been practicing with the team. He added though that they are hopeful he can help them this year.
“AG has been practicing with us and continues to do that,” Smart said. “He’ll be day-to-day each day and hopefully he can help us this year.”
Gilbert began his college career at LSU in 2020 after signing with the Tigers as a five-star-plus player out of high school. Ranked the No. 5 overall player in the country and No. 1 tight end, he hauled in 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns for the Bayou Bengals. Of his 35 catches, 24 resulted in either a first down or a touchdown with 11 coming on third or fourth down. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Georgia’s next game comes Saturday in a traditional rivalry matchup against Auburn. The 5-0 Bulldogs are listed as 29-point favorites over the 3-2 Tigers according to Vegas Insider. Kickoff for The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry from Sanford Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
