Arik Gilbert parts ways with Florida, returns to transfer portal

Former LSU tight end decommits from Florida

Photo from Arik Gilbert’s Twitter

Well, it took less than a month for Florida head coach Dan Mullen to lose a top-tier recruit.

Former LSU tight end Arik Gilbert announced on Sunday afternoon that he will be re-entering the NCAA student-athlete transfer portal after only being committed to Florida for just under a month.

Gilbert made this information known on his personal Twitter profile.

AG2 @arik_gilbert

I have decided to decommit from the university of Florida and re-enter the portal. I will not be announcing my final decision until i am enrolled into school and on campus.

Gilbert played his freshman year in Baton Rouge and had a fairly productive season for the Tigers. He hauled in 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. The Marietta native was one of the top-rated prospects in the state of Georgia during the 2020 recruiting cycle. Per the 247 Sports Composite, Gilbert was ranked the No. 1 tight end nationally, No. 1 tight end in the Peach State and No. 113 rated player in the country.

He broke the news that he would be committing to Florida on Jan. 31. The commitment followed one of the best single seasons for a tight end in SEC history as Kyle Pitts caught 43 passes for 720 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pitts is regarded as the best at his position as he enters the 2021 NFL Draft. So, it was likely that Gilbert was going to Gainesville for that sole reason.

Initially, Gilbert chose LSU over Alabama and Georgia. The 2020 National High School Gatorade Player of the Year announced his commitment to LSU in October 2019.

It was thought that UGA might have a legitimate shot to land Gilbert after he decided to leave LSU. Now, all that drama and speculation will start over again as Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley will more than likely go after Gilbert again. The Bulldogs already have a stockpiled tight end room, but getting another skilled player like Gilbert wouldn’t hurt.

The Bulldogs signed four-star tight end Brock Bowers in the 2021 recruiting cycle and are actively pursuing the top tight end in the 2022 cycle in West Forsyth High (GA) product Oscar Delp. Bowers is already on campus and will go through his first spring practices in March. Georgia already has former five-star Darnell Washington in the mix as well as John FitzPatrick. Ryland Goede is also a talented player but has been battling injuries.