Georgia football: Arik Gilbert makes position change for 2022 season

Arik Gilbert, the 5-star LSU transfer receiver, will play a new position for Georgia.

Coming into spring camp, the Georgia football website listed Arik Gilbert as a wide receiver, but head coach Kirby Smart says the player is switching back to tight end.

"He's a tight end," Smart said. "That's probably what he's going to develop at."

Gilbert stepped away from Georgia for personal reasons in 2021 and missed the Bulldogs' national championship run, but should return as a full participant for the team's title defense in 2022.

A consensus 5-star prospect in last year's recruiting cycle, Gilbert initially began his college football career as a tight end at LSU before briefly changing to receiver.

Gilbert — the No. 1 tight end in the 2021 cycle and the top player in the state of Georgia as a prospect — caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns at LSU.

After his freshman season, Gilbert entered the transfer portal, initially choosing Florida before announcing a move to Georgia, to be closer to his family in Marietta.

He joins what figures to be a loaded receiving group for the Bulldogs this fall. Brock Bowers, one of the top young tight ends in college football, returns, in addition to Darnell Washington, Kearis Jackson, and A.D. Mitchell.

Gilbert's return comes at an opportune time after Jermaine Burton, Georgia's leading receiver last season, transferred to Alabama for the 2022 season.

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