JT Daniels and Arik Gilbert are a Perfect Pair

Arik Gilbert is Georgia Football's newest weapon and he's a perfect fit for a JT Daniels-led offense.

Kyle Funderburk | Jun 6, 2021

Next to the word confidence in the dictionary is a picture of Georgia Football quarterback JT Daniels.

More than his arm or his pocket presence, Daniels' best trait is probably his confidence. The man has complete faith in his throwing ability and he also has immense faith in the weapons around him. That's why he's not afraid to throw into tight coverage, he believes his receivers will make the play as long as he puts the ball in the right spot.

"If you're not going to throw them (UGA's wide receivers) the ball, then don't recruit them." - JT Daniels

So, when Daniels watches film of his newest weapon Arik Gilbert, he has to love what he sees. Gilbert is a 6-foot-5 and 245-pound freak athlete. He has the speed and agility of a wide receiver, the frame and power of a tight end, and the ball skills to be elite at either position.

Gilbert is a mismatch; it doesn't matter how well he's covered. Few defenders can muscle the ball away from him. Just ask those who had to cover him last season. Or watch and see for yourself:

Gilbert caught 35 passes for 368 yards in his freshman season at LSU. A chunk of his catches came in tight coverage, especially later in the year. The Tigers had him run a lot of slants, so even when he didn't have a defender on his back, he was getting hit soon after catching the ball. Not only would Gilbert hold on, but he also used his big thighs and shoulders to break through would-be tacklers for more yards.

On the flip side, Gilbert has to love what he sees when he watches film of Daniels. LSU's quarterback situation was a bit of a mess last year as three quarterbacks attempted at least 79 passes and no one looked extremely comfortable in the pocket especially in LSU's biggest games.

Gilbert received a lot of inaccurate passes. His quarterbacks threw the ball behind him or short to him far too many times. He doesn't have to worry about those kinds of passes with Daniels behind center. At least not very often.

Daniels and Gilbert were made for each other. Gilbert is the physical mismatch receiver Daniels loves to throw to. Daniels is the accurate, strong-armed quarterback Gilbert needs to really thrive.

JT Daniels and Arik Gilbert are a Perfect Pair

Kyle Funderburk | Jun 6, 2021

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