Editor’s note: This article was originally published by The Gainesville Sun and has been republished in its entirety below.
Florida has added another former five-star recruit from the transfer portal, landing LSU tight end Arik Gilbert.
Gilbert announced his decision Sunday on Twitter to join the Gators.
“After careful consideration I have decided to commit to the University of Florida. This is the best situation for me and I’m excited to join the family,” Gilbert wrote.
As a freshman, the 6-5, 249-pound Gilbert caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns with the Tigers. He was rated a consensus five-star recruit and the nation’s No. 1 tight end in the Class of 2020 out of Marietta, Georgia.
Gilbert will help fill the void left by Mackey Award winner Kyle Pitts, a projected first-round NFL draft pick. His record-setting production last season undoubtedly attracted Gilbert to the Gators.
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He is the latest five-star transfer for Florida coach Dan Mullen and his staff. The Gators have landed Brenton Cox Jr., Justin Shorter, Lorenzo Lingard Jr. and Demarkcus Bowman from the portal in recent years, along with Trevon Grimes before the 2018 season.
And this month, the Gators have already added grad transfers Daquan Newkirk (defensive tackle Auburn), Antonio Shelton (defensive tackle Penn State) and Jace Christmann (kicker Mississippi State).
Despite the early departure of Pitts, Florida assistant Tim Brewster has a ton of talent to coach in his tight end room: Veteran Kemore Gamble, rising junior Keon Zipperer and redshirt freshman Jonathan Odom, as well as Gilbert and incoming freshmen Nick Elksnis and Gage Wilcox.
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