LSU Football: The Arik Gilbert saga finally ends….again

Former LSU football tight end Arik Gilbert will play for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021, according to 247Sports.

In January, Gilbert committed to Florida. He decommitted a few weeks later.

Gilbert, a former five-star recruit who signed with the Tigers during the 2020 recruiting cycle, left LSU last December with two games remaining in the season.

At the time, various reports indicated that Gilbert was “homesick”.

For much of the spring, there was optimism that Gilbert would return to Baton Rouge in 2021. The talented tight end even had an in-person meeting with Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron earlier this spring.

Instead, Gilbert will head to Athens, which will allow the former LSU signee to play closer to home.

“Coming home, I believe it was a smart decision to come home. I wanted to be with and near my family,” said Gilbert to 247Sports .”I have been missing all of family and now both of my Grandmothers will be able to see me play in person too.”

Arik Gilbert is a big loss for LSU football

There’s really no way around this — Gilbert is a major loss for the Tigers.

Gilbert is an extremely athletic and talented tight end who is an instant mismatch whenever he steps onto the field. He’s too big for a defensive back to cover, but he’s too fast for a linebacker to cover. It would’ve been fun to see how new LSU offensive coordinator Jake Peetz would’ve used Gilbert this season.

It appears that a position switch could be in store for Gilbert at Georgia.

The Marietta native alluded to playing wide receiver for the Bulldogs in his interview with 247Sports.

“Being brought in to play wide receiver, I definitely think I can help the team win,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert is going to be dangerous regardless of where he is on the field.

The only way the Tigers will be forced to defend Gilbert in 2021 is if both teams reach the SEC Championship game in December.