NebraskaToday’s tight end room received an intriguing addition from the transfer portal in the form of Arik Gilbert. The former top 10 national recruit, who has served time at both LSU and Georgia, has signed to the Huskers.
Gilbert, a 6-foot-5, 255-pounder, was the No. 9 overall recruit and the No. 1 tight end in the 2020 class from Marietta, Georgia. The former five-star athlete and Gatorade National Player of the Year chose LSU before moving to Georgia.
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He is the No. 6 tight end and No. 92 overall player in the Rivals transfer rankings and has a 5.8 player rating. He joins Corey Collier Jr. (No. 73 overall) as the Huskers’ second transfer addition to the top 100.
Gilbert, who is still eligible to play for up to three years, is the Huskers’ 10th transfer portal of the offseason. Nebraska brought him to campus for a visit in mid-January, and Matt Rhule and Bob bet were able to land his engagement. He will need a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2023 as this is his second transfer.
Gilbert had a great season as a true freshman in 2020, playing in eight of LSU’s ten games. He showed his ability to be a dynamic receiving target as he caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
Gilbert entered the transfer portal after his freshman season at LSU, ending up in Georgia after initially deciding on the Florida portal. However, he left the team in August 2021 for personal reasons and never played in the 2021 season.
Gilbert returned to Georgia’s team in January 2022 and played in three games last season behind other talented tight ends in John Mackey Award winner Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington and highly rated freshman Oscar Delp. Gilbert saw the most action against Vanderbilt, where he caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Gilbert joins a Nebraska tight end room that loses its two best contributors in Travis Vokolek and Chancellor Brewington. The space is currently lacking in experience and production as the other grants are contained within Thomas Fidone II, Chris Hickman, AJ Rollins, James Carnie, Chase Androff and Brodie Tagaloa.
Nebraska hosted Brett Seither, Gilbert’s Georgia teammate, for a visit in mid-January, but Seither decided to play for Georgia Tech the next season.
Gilbert is Nebraska’s second signing from Georgia, joining the OLB MJ Sherman, and he is the Huskers’ sixth transfer from the SEC.
He is the 12th player from the portal to be added to Rhule’s list as a recipient Zavier Betts and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda withdrew from the portal and returned to Nebraska. Betts left the team in March 2022 for personal reasons, while Garcia-Castaneda entered the transfer portal on October 11, four games into the 2022 season but decided to return.
The deadline for players to enter the portal was January 18, and the deadline for players to join the program and continue participating in spring practice is January 23—the first day of class of sophomore in Nebraska.
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