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Arik Gilbert: The big reasons why he's leaving the state to play for LSU
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Arik Gilbert: The big reasons why he's leaving the state to play for LSU
Arik Gilbert, the nation's No. 1 TE for 2020, picked LSU yesterday. Why wasn't it UGA? When did his head start to turn away from the Georgia program? He supplied his thoughts on those matters to DawgNation.
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On average, UGA has recruited better than any school in the country while Kirby has been in Athens. We will be top five again this year. The sky is not falling! Gilbert wants to catch the ball so he chose a school that is where QB careers go to die save Burrow who will not be around to throw one pass to Arik.
"Arik Gilbert woke up a full-fledged LSU Tiger today."
Yep, just like John Emery woke up a UGA Bulldog and George Pickens woke up as an Auburn Tiger.
Oh wait.
He hasn't signed with anyone yet. Commitments are little more than "leans" nowadays.
If he goes to LSU, great, good for him. We'll beat them with or without him.
Honestly, I actually DO wonder if this will (in the end) become a similar story for 2020 H.S. 5 star TE/WR/ATH Arik Gilbert.... to what eventually happened with the former 2016 H.S. 5 star WR Demetris Robertson, and his departure going off to play at California... only to "transfer portal" back to UGA a couple of years later (with a medical red-shirt as he had a broken leg in 2017), and also after D-Rob had the change of heart with a sick mother, and the strong pull of Georgia is "home"????
I'm going to say something here that kind of goes against the grain, and no, I'm not going to knock Gilbert. I don't buy all of that "LSU felt like home"crappola, because if their team ****, he still wouldn't be there. But I do buy his points that the Tigers have greatly upgraded their offense (although I heard something today on sports talk radio that the new OC is going to be one of the top Head Coaching candidates in both college and pros this season, so we'll see).
But beyond that, while I am concerned about UGA continuing its trend of losing the state's top-rated players to other schools (particularly in the SEC), I'm am not all that concerned that we're losing a top-rated TE. Why? Well, since CKS arrived the talk has been how we need a big-time tight end who can get open and catch passes and all of that. Then we get Isaac Nauta, who was supposed to do all that. he was serviceable but quite frankly, he did nothing that a 3-star TE couldn't have done. And what happened to him in the NFL draft? Where is he now?
Then along comes Charlie Woerner who was supposed to be pretty good. He's decent. He's serviceable but no one is game-planning for him and look what happened this year; he lost his starting job to a graduate transfer from Tennessee, Eli Wolfe.
Speaking of Wolfe, he started the season off like he was FINALLY going to be THAT GUY for us. But alas, since October hit he's really fallen off his game. Not sure why. And through all of those guys, Nauta, Worner, Wolfe, somewhat underperforming, we still managed to get to one National Championship Game, make two SEC championship games, and are currently ranked in the Top 10 in the country now with a legitimate chance to get back to another SEC championship game, maybe even the CFP.
Now would I like for us to sign a 5-star TE? Doggone right. Always better to have more toys than the other guys. But am I distressed over not getting one? Not really, because history shows that even when we do get the top-of-the-line model, we somehow manage to wreck it.
Go Dawgs!
Arik is very, very special. I personally hate that we lost him to LSU?! How in the world would someone want to play for Ed Orgeron??? Seriously? LSU's current OC will not be on their team in January.
Enough of the Gilbert articles! He didn’t pick UGA. Please stop writing about the guy.
Comments here aren’t acknowledging what the kid said: he just felt “it” at LSU. My son is doing visits now as just a regular student, and it’s so true: they can either see themselves there or they can’t. And no recruiting pitch can change that. We benefit a lot from this dynamic, otherwise we’d never beat Bama on the trail if the decision was only about football.
Oh....... He liked their offense.... Mum.
Never thought he was coming anyway! Wish him the best of luck.
Just add another tackle to the line and call him a tight end.
Bye. Once you leave the state, you'll never be a DGD again. Seeya.
Arik is a great recruit, but I personally prefer Darnell and Theo.....and I would have said that if Arik had committed to UGa. Too bad Arik was only able to compare his visit to UGa during the KY game (in a monsoon) to the LSU vs Florida game. Had he joined Darnell and Theo in Athens for the Notre Dame game I’m sure he would have had a better feel for the game day atmosphere. The good news is Darnell and Theo are just as good as Arik. They are both still on the board and have been more positive about UGa throughout their recruitment. Go Dawgs!!!
No doubt in my mind why he didn't commit to UGA. I'm sure CKS is taking notice.
@DallasDawg , Very good points. I believe if our TE's were more involved in the passing game, Gilbert would have committed. I can't even name an LSU TE within the last 20 years but Joe Brady may change that with the passing game. I think Nauta would have been drafted higher if he had more than 60+ career catches in 3 years at UGA. Being drafted higher would have given him a longer look to make the team. I'm very concerned that if we don't throw the ball more we may not get many big time TE's and WR's in the next few years.
Guess Gilbert wanted to go to a school who could throw the ball his way more than once or twice per game
“But I just think that I’m not really a good fit for the school.”
If this can't get Kirby Smart to realize that his approach to offense must change radically, then I believe he won't be the Head Coach at Georgia for many more years. Recruiting is ultra-important to him and here's a top level recruit who he has been after since before he played a high school game saying he didn't feel like he fit.
The SEC west has been the vanguard of the conference for awhile now and , like it or not, they are starting to go the way of the Big 12, high powered, air-raid style offenses, with okay defenses. And that's where football is going. The reason why Florida has caught up to Georgia so quickly is they are the only SEC east team which is attempting the same style.
I hate to say it, but the design of the Ga's TE room, is just a place where dreams go to die. CKS should just be honest with them and tell them "we need you to put on 60 pounds or so, so you can be a more physical tackle". That is what he uses them for.
I really hope the offense does more in the coming weeks.
Gilbert does know that Burrow is not going to be there next year, right? So, the offense may want to be the same, but will it?
Will just have to wait and see.
Go Dawgs