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'23 TNFR TE Arik Gilbert (Verbal to Nebraska)

WasianCU

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247sports
ESPN
Rivals
On3
hudl
Georgia Bio

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University of Georgia (Athens, GA) / Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA) / Marietta HS (Marietta, GA)

Eligibility:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arik_gilbert
Instagram:

Ht: 6'5"
Wt: 248
40:

Transfer ratings:

247s rating:
ESPN rating:
Rivals rating: unrated TE
On3 rating: unrated TE

247sports Composite:

Reported Offers:

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As a '20 recruit:

247s rating: 5* - 99 grade; #1 TE (#10 overall)
ESPN rating: 5* - 91 grade; #1 TE-Y (#6 overall)
Rivals rating: 5* - 6.1rr; #1 TE (#9 overall)

247sports Composite: 5* / 0.9972 rating / #1 TE / #5 overall

Reported Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida St, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Ole Miss, Nebraska, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio St, Oklahoma, Penn St, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech
 
Gilbert was the highest rated TE recruit ever.

As a 2020 true freshman at LSU: 35 receptions, 368 yards, 2 TDs
Transferred to Georgia, sat out 2021
Limited action at UGA in 2022, 2 receptions, 16 yards, 1 TD

He's had some mental health issues which have been publicized. Those seem to be better managed and that he's doing well now.

Would love to have him at CU and see a great ending to his college story.
 
Utah was the only team that had real depth at the TE position in the passing game. No coincidence that they ended U$C’s dreams and won the P12 title.
Having elite pass catching TEs is hard to defend on a NFL but in college, you got two, man, it's damn near impossible. Look at how much damage D.J. Stevens who's just an average pass catching SWAC TE was doing with Shedeur. Shedeur will have dominated the redzone with Gilbert and Traore
 
Utah was the only team that had real depth at the TE position in the passing game. No coincidence that they ended U$C’s dreams and won the P12 title.
I thought we had 2-3 good TE prospects in the TE room. What happened to Fauria and the other one(s) (I can’t recall their names right now)?

Just think how really awful that position room would have been over the past 5 (?) years if we hadn’t lucked out with Brady as a walk-on gem.
 
I thought we had 2-3 good TE prospects in the TE room. What happened to Fauria and the other one(s) (I can’t recall their names right now)?

Just think how really awful that position room would have been over the past 5 (?) years if we hadn’t lucked out with Brady as a walk-on gem.
ITT, Fauria’s fight with diabetes and injuries hurt him. Russell was decent. He should’ve been more of a depth piece but they could never recruit over him.
 
ITT, Fauria’s fight with diabetes and injuries hurt him. Russell was decent. He should’ve been more of a depth piece but they could never recruit over him.
Russell was the ONLY TE, and he got hammered every time he touched the ball. If we had any other options, or a viable offensive scheme (or QB), I think he could have gone to another level. But such is the problem when there are no options.

So all we have right now is Fauria (until HCP brings in some monsters)? It’s really amazing to look at how truly barren the depth chart has been here.
 
Russell was the ONLY TE, and he got hammered every time he touched the ball. If we had any other options, or a viable offensive scheme (or QB), I think he could have gone to another level. But such is the problem when there are no options.

So all we have right now is Fauria (until HCP brings in some monsters)? It’s really amazing to look at how truly barren the depth chart has been here.
He got hammered a lot because he had difficulty getting separation. He was not a good player and had severely limited upside. He was serviceable for poor teams.

As for who’s left, I think it’s best to wait and see after spring practice.
 
He got hammered a lot because he had difficulty getting separation. He was not a good player and had severely limited upside. He was serviceable for poor teams.

As for who’s left, I think it’s best to wait and see after spring practice.

I knew the season was ****ed when he lined up out wide quite a bit during the TCU game. Adding the sweeps to a slow, walk-on WR and it was apparent there was close to nil WR talent.
 
He got hammered a lot because he had difficulty getting separation. He was not a good player and had severely limited upside. He was serviceable for poor teams.

As for who’s left, I think it’s best to wait and see after spring practice.
And where were these players who got separation in this offense? The assertion “he was not a good player” is just a touch objective in nature, don’t you think? Your opinion, fine. I disagree, but there are no absolutes in any of this. No receiver in this offense has had any numbers which can be comparatively assessed beyond the worst offense in CFB for two years, certainly not at the TE position. When the entire defense can comfortably line up within 10 yards of the LOS… “separation” is going to be stupid bad as a matter of course.
 
And where were these players who got separation in this offense? The assertion “he was not a good player” is just a touch objective in nature, don’t you think? Your opinion, fine. I disagree, but there are no absolutes in any of this. No receiver in this offense has had any numbers which can be comparatively assessed beyond the worst offense in CFB for two years, certainly not at the TE position. When the entire defense can comfortably line up within 10 yards of the LOS… “separation” is going to be stupid bad as a matter of course.
Colorado had a lot of bad players. That’s why the team lost so often. College football is about talent. Colorado lacked competitive talent, so the losses piled up.

Brady Russell was not a good player. He’s talent capped and did not show excellence on the field despite having tons of reps. These are facts. The concept that he was great and limited by the system is bizarre.

Anyway, I don’t want to continue to debate the merits of a marginal player who’s no longer part of the program. I’m trying to move on to evaluating and enjoying actually talented players.
 
He got hammered a lot because he had difficulty getting separation. He was not a good player and had severely limited upside. He was serviceable for poor teams.

As for who’s left, I think it’s best to wait and see after spring practice.
This. Brady Russell was a fullback who should have seen maybe 20 snaps a game as a role player. He was not a legitimate tight end. He was short, had short arms, had fullback speed and quickness, and could not get open on his own to save his life.
 
Colorado had a lot of bad players. That’s why the team lost so often. College football is about talent. Colorado lacked competitive talent, so the losses piled up.

Brady Russell was not a good player. He’s talent capped and did not show excellence on the field despite having tons of reps. These are facts. The concept that he was great and limited by the system is bizarre.

Anyway, I don’t want to continue to debate the merits of a marginal player who’s no longer part of the program. I’m trying to move on to evaluating and enjoying actually talented players.
Brady Russell wasn't limited by the system. He was limited to an extend by playing on a team that lacked a functioning OL and effective QB but even those wouldn't have made him a good TE.

He is a smart player, he is fundamentally sound as both a blocker and a receiver.

He is also a guy who would have been a special teamer for most top 25 programs and would have trouble finding a starting job in most top 50 programs.

As you indicate he doesn't have separation speed or quickness, he doesn't have dominating size or strength, he has good but not great hands, he is a good but not great blocker.

Part of why he did manage to play and why he will actually get a look in some NFL training camps is that he brings intelligence and effort and attitude. He's the kind of player that coaches like to make a spot for on a roster but they don't want to have to depend on him to make a play.

Playing TE is complicated enough and difficult enough that there aren't nearly as many good TEs as there are colleges who want one or more.

If you have an elite TE in college defenses aren't used to it. Most have a hard time dealing with a TE, do you cover with an safety who is physically overmatched or a LB who isn't used to covering somebody with receiver skills? Do both and you leave other receivers to beat you.
 
He got hammered a lot because he had difficulty getting separation. He was not a good player and had severely limited upside. He was serviceable for poor teams.

As for who’s left, I think it’s best to wait and see after spring practice.
Bc of the Covid vaccine, or lack thereof?
 
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For a team that had something like 20 TEs on the roster, we never seem to be able to actually find one that’s worth much.
 
I thought we had 2-3 good TE prospects in the TE room. What happened to Fauria and the other one(s) (I can’t recall their names right now)?

Just think how really awful that position room would have been over the past 5 (?) years if we hadn’t lucked out with Brady as a walk-on gem.
Every TE that's been recruited over the last 12-15 yrs could/should've been recruited over. Every year we were led to believe the TE was going to play a bigger part in the offense...never happened.
 
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