WATCH: Arik Gilbert catches first Georgia touchdown pass
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia tight end Arik Gilbert caught the first touchdown pass of his UGA career on Saturday in a Bulldogs blowout versus Vanderbilt. Gilbert’s 4-yard score more it 48-0 UGA with 7:21 to go in the fourth quarter.
Gilbert had previously played in two games at Georgia – this season against Oregon and Samford – but had not seen action in the last four for the Bulldogs. Not only did he record his first career touchdown catch, but he also had his first catch in general at Georgia on the drive, a 12-yard completion from Carson Beck.
Gilbert is listed third on the depth chart for Georgia tight ends behind co-starters Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. However, recent playing time would indicate that freshman Oscar Delp might be ahead of him. Gilbert has yet to record any stats in his limited playing time while Delp has seen action in five of six so far with five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
On the other hand, Gilbert’s ceiling is as high as just about anybody’s in the country. He 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.
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.
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Most recently, Smart shared how proud he was of Gilbert on the SEC Coaches Teleconference last week. The message was majority the same though, one filled with hope to see him contribute to the team’s success this season.
“I’m really proud of Arik’s progress and what he’s done and continue to be hopeful that he’ll contribute and help us,” Smart said.
“The thinking is to keep him with us,” Smart said after Gilbert made the trip with the team to Missouri despite not dressing out. “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.”
