Arik Gilbert Decommits from Florida Gators. Is He Eying Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs?
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ATHENS - One of the top transfer targets in college football, Arik Gilbert, said he’s not going to play for Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators.
Gilbert, a former five-star prospect from Marietta, surprisingly picked LSU and enrolled in Baton Rouge in 2020. But he left there and entered the transfer portal in the off season. Soon thereafter he announced on social media that he had committed to Florida.
But on Sunday the Georgia native once more took to social media to announce that he would not be going to Florida, and that he wouldn’t announce his destination until he enrolls.
"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,” he said Sunday afternoon.
Earlier this month, UGA coach Kirby Smart talked on 680 the Fan about the Bulldogs adding more players to their roster for the 2021 season. He did not mention Gilbert by name, but said the following in terms of filling out the remainder of the Bulldogs’ 85-man roster:
“There are two or three scenarios that are out there that people are not thinking outside the box that it will be interesting to see if those play out. If you look back last year at this time and said: 'OK, if a kid is not signed how to they end up at a place. There have been reclassifications. There's been kids who announce where they are going out of the portal that are not actually signed. You don't actually sign until you enroll. There is a lot of wiggle room left for a lot of these kids. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.”
On Jan 10, 2021 Dawg Post reported:
“Gilbert’s transfer from LSU was not about being upset about playing time, or Gilbert being frustrated with the Tigers’ difficult year. His move to leave LSU came as a result of the way the Tigers dealt with Gilbert off the field - the specifics of what that was or is are a little less easy to confirm. Even a few days ago UGA insiders seems cautious about talking about Gilbert being added to the program. It is hard to know if they are playing possum about that likelihood, or if they really doubt it.”
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