Back in January, Florida landed a commitment from former LSU tight end Arik Gilbert, but he ultimately decommitted from the Gators and enrolled at Georgia. Now, one member of Florida’s coaching staff explained what it was like to lose the former five-star recruit. During his media availability on Monday, Florida tight ends coach Tim Brewester was asked about Gilbert’s decommitment from Florida earlier this year. Brewster stated his belief that the Gators never really had Gilbert, per Swamp247 (VIP). Because of that, Brewster didn’t want to go into too much detail about Gilbert.
“We never had him, so who knows,” Brewster said. “Who knows what he’s going to do? I never like to comment on a player that’s not mine.”
Brewster also said that the team still has plenty of talent at the tight end position. He specifically cited Kenmore Gamble as a player who could potentially step up and replace some of the production that Kyle Pitts brought with him to the NFL.
On June 1, Gilbert announced that he was transferring to Georgia. After making his decision, Gilbert spoke with Dawgs247 to explain why he was drawn to the Bulldogs. One of the biggest reasons for the Marietta, Georgia, native was wanting to be closer to his family.
“Coming home, I believe it was a smart decision to come home. I wanted to be with and near my family,” Gilbert said, via Dawgs247. “I have been missing all of my family and now both of my Grandmothers will be able to see me play in person too.”
Since Gilbert missed out on spring practice with Georgia, getting the tight end familiar with the team’s offensive system has been a priority for Kirby Smart.
“I think learning is the key,” Smart said. “He’s got to learn the system, words really. We don’t have a lot of different plays then the other places he’s learned from but we call it different. I would almost say vocabulary, learning how we practice, how to learn our stuff at a fast rate. That’s the key for him.”
In his lone season at LSU, Gilbert hauled in 35 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns. He opted out of the Tigers’ final two games of the 2021 season prior to entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
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Gilbert was a five-star recruit and the No. 5 overall player in the 2020 signing class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. In his 247Sports Scouting Report, Gilbert drew a comparison to Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andres and was evaluated as potential first-round NFL Draft pick.
Garrett Stepien and Jake Rowe contributed to this report.
