5-star college football transfer Arik Gilbert commits to Nebraska

Former five-star recruit and 2023 college football transfer Arik Gilbert has committed to Nebraska for the coming season.
BREAKING: Former Georgia TE Arik Gilbert has Committed to Nebraska!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 19, 2023
The 6’5 250 TE from Marietta, GA was ranked as the No. 5 Player in the 2020 Class.
One of the top overall players in the transfer portal https://t.co/w3fE568nHP pic.twitter.com/pHWkLoLIXq
Who is Arik Gilbert? The native of Georgia was a consensus 5-star recruit coming out of Marietta, ranked as the No. 5 overall player nationally and the No. 1 ranked tight end in the 2020 football recruiting class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
Where was he? Gilbert played for Georgia after transferring back to his home state prior to the 2021 football season. He originally committed to LSU and played there in the 2020 campaign, catching 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman All-SEC selection.
Limited playing time: Since arriving at Georgia, Gilbert hasn't seen the field very often, missing the 2021 season while dealing with personal issues and playing in just three total games this past season.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he was putting priority on Gilbert's health over his playing time and always hoped he could return to the field.
Spring game: After missing the Bulldogs' first national title run in '21, Gilbert made a good early impression in the team's spring game back in April, catching a pair of touchdown passes from Stetson Bennett.
.@StetsonIv connects with @arik_gilbert for the first score of the game‼️
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) April 16, 2022
Watch live on ESPN2: https://t.co/ePBADRzZYS pic.twitter.com/3kgsKtMjMi
How it ended: Despite the positive early returns in the spring and some high expectations, Gilbert again saw limited action in the 2022 season, ultimately deciding to try his luck in the Big Ten.
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James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.