The recruiting process can be a stressful time for elite prospects, with coaches frequently calling, making promises about the future and gunning hard for a player to commit to their school.
For 5-star tight end Arik Gilbert (Marietta, Georgia), he does not just listen to what a coach tells him, he actually studies to see if it’s true. And he’s looking forward to watching film on every team recruiting him this season.
“I don’t miss anything when I’m studying a team,” Gilbert told Jason Jordan of USA Today High School Sports. “That’s what I’m most looking forward to this season; seeing if the coaches do what they tell me they’re gonna do with me.”
Recently, Gilbert – who ranks as the No. 12 player in the nation and No. 1 tight end – trimmed his list of schools down to 10: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
In the past, under offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, Georgia heavily underutilized the talent of tight end Isaac Nauta, who was also a five-star recruit out of high school. This season, however, with James Coley in charge of the offense, I’d expect the tight end position to see some more action.
“Coaches always say, ‘Yeah we throw to our tight end,’ but I watch film on them and they don’t,” said Gilbert. “This season will tell a lot for me.”
As of now, Gilbert has only taken an official visit to Alabama, but has plans to set up more visits and make a decision in September or October.
“I can’t even imagine picking one school the way I’m thinking right now.”
