What Arik Gilbert Adds to Georgia's Offense
As if Georgia Football's offense wasn't rich with talent already, the Bulldogs added more wealth in the form of tight end Arik Gilbert.
Gilbert committed to Georgia on Tuesday, six months after leaving the LSU Tigers and entering the transfer portal. During those six months, he briefly committed to Florida and improved his grades enough to be eligible for the 2021 football season.
The Marietta native had a fantastic freshman season for LSU. In eight games, he caught 35 passes for 358 yards and found the end zone twice. However, he didn't play in the Tigers' last two games, which seeded doubts about his future with the program.
With his academic issues and second recruitment cycle behind him, Gilbert is ready to get his college football career back on track in Athens. Georgia is certainly glad to have his services, especially in an era where teams need as much offensive firepower as possible.
Another weapon
Gilbert is listed as a tight end, and at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he certainly looks like one, but he isn't pigeon-holed into that role. Gilbert is much more athletic than his frame suggests.
He runs, cuts and jumps like a wide receiver, but he runs with the power expected from a 250-pounder. Don't worry about ball skills; Gilbert attacks the ball in the air and he knows how to use his size to overwhelm smaller defenders. He can do everything a receiver and a tight end can do.
Why does Georgia need another tight end?
If anyone is worried about what Gilbert's arrival means for Darnell Washington, don't be. Gilbert isn't going to interfere with Georgia's plans for Washington because he's not playing tight end. He's coming to Georgia to be a mismatch nightmare at wide receiver.
Washington will line up out wide occasionally, but most of his snaps will come from the traditional tight-end position. Gilbert is the exact opposite. He will occasionally play the traditional tight-end role, but he will usually line up wide or in the slot.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken already has plans to use Gilbert and Washington in tandem. The Bulldogs could have the most unpredictable 12, 22 and 32 sets in the nation because of how athletic their top two tight ends are.
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