While spring games aren’t always indicative of what’s to come in the fall, the college football world took notice when Arik Gilbert—the former five-star recruit and All-SEC Freshman at LSU—caught two touchdown passes from Stetson Bennett during Saturday’s G-Day festivities.
Gilbert missed the 2021 season due to personal issues after transferring to Georgia, but if he can contribute to the Dawgs offense in 2022, he adds to an already stacked tight end room which may be the best in the nation.
Injuries kept Brock Bowers—UGA’s leading pass catcher in 2021—and Darnell Washington out of spring practice, but when they return, the defending champions will have a loaded arsenal at the position. Oscar Delp, a four-star freshman from West Forsyth, could get a few targets when the season rolls out and looked the part in Saturday’s spring game with 7 catches for 91 yards.
As for Gilbert, there’s no denying his ability and his performance Saturday will certainly have Dawg fans believing that he’ll be ready to go in the fall. Postgame, Kirby Smart did say that the 6-5 sophomore’s conditioning needs to improve in the next few months to get back in game shape.
“He lost a lot of weight, but just what he's been through and overcome is such a great story, but he's not where he needs to be. He'll be the first to tell you he's got to continue to grow, to get in shape, to change his body, and he can get an opportunity to help us. With the two other guys we've got coming back, it makes it a luxury of those guys being able to make us a special football team,” Smart said.
In 2021, the Bulldogs had the best defensive line in the country with Jordan Davis, Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt all headed to play on Sundays. It appears that for the second straight season, the Bulldogs will have a position group that will be the envy of all of college football with Bowers, Washington and Gilbert leading the way.