Good news has seemingly been piling up lately for Georgia’s Arik Gilbert, and the positivity could just be beginning according to one of Gilbert’s most trusted mentors.
Former record-setting UGA wide receiver Terrence Edwards joined DawgNation Daily Thursday to address the possibility of Gilbert returning to an active role with the Bulldogs and participating in spring practice -- which starts next week for UGA.
“As far as I know he will,” Edwards said when asked whether Gilbert would be part of those practices. “He hasn’t told me he will not. So I don’t know for certain, but... I’m assuming he will. So until someone tells me he won’t, I wouldn’t think otherwise.”
Gilbert, of course, is the former five-star tight end from Marrietta, Ga. who spent his freshman season at LSU before transferring to UGA last summer with the hopes of also changing his position to wide receiver.
However, Gilbert eventually made the decision to step away from the team before the season began because of what was described at the time as a “personal issue.”
Gilbert is apparently still in the midst of confronting those issues, and making progress in that regard.
“Right now he’s just trying to come back to some kind of normalcy,” Edwards said. “I think a lot of people were wondering what was going on with him, and Coach Smart and I have said repeatedly this is a personal issue, and that we need to pray for the young man.
“He’s still trying to get back to being the Arik Gilbert we love. He’s doing some great things right now academically. I think he’s been Academic Student of the Week twice so far. And right now, he’s trying to get himself back into football shape.”
Gilbert indeed was recently honored for his work in the classroom by UGA coach Kirby Smart on social media.
That kind of praise from his head coach got lots of attention from Bulldogs fans eager to see Gilbert back on the field again soon, but Edwards hopes to pump the brakes on some of that enthusiasm.
“It’s going to take a little time,” Edwards said. “I just want people to really kind of calm down the expectations and let this young man work through spring and the fall.”
Diminishing the hype for Gilbert’s eventual return might be easier said than done given his immense talent level.
Edwards doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that he’s seen the same remarkable potential other fans have also noticed.
“We know, coming out of high school, we have never seen a player like Arik,” Edwards said. “If he really gets his mind right and focuses on football and focuses on academics, Arik can be something special.”
For more from Edwards on Gilbert and other topics, check out the latest edition of the DawgNation Daily podcast, which is linked below, or a snippet from the interview from the DawgNation YouTube channel which can be found that the bottom of the page.
