First Look At Arik Gilbert: What To Expect?

Tight end Arik Gilbert will play his first football game in two years on Saturday; fans are anticipating his debut, but what can they expect?

Tight end Arik Gilbert's name has circulated in Georgia circles for the last four years. Gilbert hails from Marietta, Georgia, and attended high school ninety minutes from Athens.

He compiled a decorated career for the Marietta Blue Devils, amassing 3,640 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns during his varsity career. Gilbert rounded out his prep years by winning a state championship and being named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Georgia fought hard to land his services out of high school, making him their one of their sole priorities at the tight end position. Tight ends coach Todd Hartley generally doesn't miss on prospects when recruiting, but this was the lone exception.

LSU won Gilbert's services partly because of its historic offensive success during the 2019 season. Quarterback Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy, and the Tigers rolled over anything in their path.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the personnel was primarily responsible for that dominance. Many contributors departed following the 2019 season, leaving LSU depleted and underwhelming.

Gilbert found the field during his true freshman season, hauling in 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns. He was their unquestioned No. 1 option heading into the 2020 season, but he chose to enter his name into the transfer portal.

His second recruiting process became quite hectic, as he pledged his services to the Florida Gators on social media before quickly re-opening his recruitment. His dalliance with the Gators was brief, but Georgia continued to fight during that time to ensure they had a fighter's chance should anything happen.

Their pitch eventually convinced the former five-star, and he chose to return home and sign with the Bulldogs. The move made fans salivate at the potential of the Georgia offense; however, Gilbert wouldn't see the field during the 2021 season.

News broke during the summer that Gilbert was no longer with the team as he was dealing with personal matters. That situation kept him away from the football field for the entire year, and fans began to ponder when he would return.

After going quiet for an entire season, he returned to the team in January, reportedly weighing around 300 pounds, along with needing to refine his body and on-field skills.

Head coach Kirby Smart attempted to temper expectations, explaining the team was enthralled to have Gilbert back, but he had a ways to go before finding the field.

Despite Smart's best efforts, the hype began to mount. Gilbert is a special athlete capable of transforming his body in a matter of months, which is exactly what happened. During Georgia's spring game, he looked like his old self, hauling in several passes from quarterback Stetson Bennett including an impressive touchdown. In a matter of months, he'd gotten down to near 265 pounds according to sources. 

Todd Monken indicated during his press conference that Georgia would like be using Gilbert in the slot, similar to the way he used Bowers a year ago, though he did point out some differences between the two.

"Well Arik, a lot like Brock, is a unique talent. Their skill set - Arik is little bit different in that Arik has wide receiver background in route-running. He's good with the ball in his hands after the catch, whereas Brock's background is more get the ball in his hands, H-Back, full-back, run after the catch. That's probably the difference. So as Brock needs to continue to develop his running, he's one of those guys where you just have to get it in his hands. And he (Brock) has better catch radius than I thought. Arik is more of a route-runner. He's been in that, in terms of what he's developed, it's almost like an air-raid Y" - Todd Monken

Arik presents numerous problems for opposing defenses; his combination of size and speed are unparalleled outside of Bowers. He should find an immediate impact this fall in some capacity, as he is simply too talented.

Fans shouldn't expect Gilbert to come out and be a world-beater. He hasn't played in a competitive football game since 2020, and there may be some rust in getting re-acquainted.

However, he should flash on Saturday in some capacity. Georgia seems to be more determined to throw the ball this year, which in turn leads to more targets for an elite tight end room. 

While Bowers is the de-facto No. 1 option, the second fiddle role is up for grabs. Wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Ladd McConkey, running backs Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton, and Gilbert all have fair claims to that spot.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken's history tells us one thing; he loves creating mismatches. Arik creates more problems for defenses than any of the above candidates with his athleticism and prowess at the catch point.

Gilbert's return to action has been highly anticipated and for good reason. We are mere days away from seeing him don the red and black, completing the illustrious tight end room fans have envisioned.

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