LSU Tight End Arik Gilbert Had "Good" Meeting With Tigers, No Decision Made Yet
A familiar face was in Baton Rouge recently and had what coach Ed Orgeron called a "good" meeting. Former tight end Arik Gilbert visited his old stomping grounds as he continues to decide what he wants to do with his football future.
The saga has been well covered by now. Gilbert opted out of the final three games of the 2020 season and the initial thought was that he'd transfer closer to his homestate of Georgia. After being committed to Florida for a short stretch, Gilbert backed off that pledge and not much new reporting had surfaced until last week.
Rivals reported that Gilbert was on LSU's campus and spent the weekend meeting with the Tigers. On Tuesday, Orgeron gave a little more insight into Gilbert's visit, providing some more clarity on the situation.
"We had a very good meeting. There's been no decisions been made. He was happy. Everybody was happy to see him. We checked with compliance to make sure that everything that he was doing was on the up and up when he come meet him and he could come talk to us, Orgeron said. "He left. He hadn't made a decision yet, hadn't told us anything yet. I think it's still up in the air, but it was a very positive day when he came."
Whether or not anything comes of the meeting remains to be seen. It's become evident that Gilbert is just unsure of what his plans are as of now but there's no denying a potential reunion would be mutually beneficial. During his freshman season, Gilbert recorded 35 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
As of now, rising sophomore Kole Taylor as well as senior Nick Storz are battling it out for tight end duties. Since his departure, LSU has brought in a younger offensive staff led my Jake Peetz and DJ Mangas. Mangas has a great relationship with Gilbert as one of his primary recruiters the first go around alongside Joe Brady.
This is certainly a situation to monitor over the coming weeks.
