Arik Gilbert leaves Florida to re-enter the transfer portal

Arik Gilbert leaves Florida to re-enter the transfer portal

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Just over a month after ex-5-star tight end Arik Gilbert announced he was moving to Florida, he dropped that promise.

Gilbert announced on Twitter that he was breaking down and would announce his school of choice as soon as he was officially enrolled in a school.

“I decided to withdraw from the University of Florida and enter the portal again,” tweeted Gilbert. “I will not announce my final decision until I am enrolled at school and on campus.”

Gilbert spent his freshman season at LSU, picking up 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns. The Marietta, Georgia native was the best player in the state of Georgia for the 2020 recruiting cycle and the highest-scoring tight end prospect in the history of recruiting rankings.

Given the success that Dan Mullen and Florida had with Kyle Pitts last season, Florida seemed like a rational landing place for Gilbert. Georgia was heavily involved in his recruitment when he left high school, but he ended up signing with LSU. Georgia won 5-star athlete Darnell Washington in the 2020 cycle. He took seven passes for 166 yards in his freshman season.

Related: Arik Gilbert may have been a necessity for Georgia football, but he was not a need for space in the tight end

The Bulldogs hired 4-star tight end Brock Bowers in the 2021 recruitment cycle and are heavily involved in recruiting the country’s best tight end in the 2022 cycle at Oscar Delp.

One possible reason why Gilbert reneged on the decision to go to Florida is that the NCAA has not yet approved the single transfer rule. There is also the fact that the SEC has a rule that obliges players who transfer within the conference to stay out for a season, even if they receive an exemption from the NCAA. The league waived this rule for the 2020 season and pointed to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.

Related: Dreshun Miller’s commitment to Auburn is why Kirby Smart laughs at the fascination of the transfer portal

Florida has done very well on the transfer portal for the past few seasons under Mullen, welcoming former 5-star recruits such as defensive winger Brenton Cox and running back DeMarcus Bowman. Florida has to replace Pitts, along with his other two top pass catchers from 2020. Florida will also have a new quarterback, while Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson compete to take over from Kyle Trask.

Gilbert’s news drew a huge reaction from college football fans and members of the media on Sunday.

The Gators beat Georgia 44-28 last season. Pitts left the game in the second half, but not before getting two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Georgia and Florida will perform on October 30 in Jacksonville, Florida, this season.

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