Arik Gilbert may have been short of football in Georgia, but he didn’t need tight end space

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Arik Gilbert may have been short of football in Georgia, but he didn’t need tight end space

Florida always made much more sense as a possible destination for Arik Gilbert than Georgia. Kyle Pitts was a devastating force for Florida last season. The Gators also lose their top three pass-catchers this off-season. Florida can really include him in his attack next season.

Georgia realistically couldn’t do that. Not with George Pickens returning to wide receiver. Or both Zamir White and James Cook will come back to run back. There’s only one ball to go around and JT Daniels and Todd Monken would struggle enough by 2021 to satisfy all of Georgia’s skill-set talent.

That made Gilbert’s decision to move to Florida a rational one. He announced the move on Sunday. And while Georgia appeared to be a possible landing site due to reports that Gilbert was home sick at LSU, fitness on the field was questionable to say the least.

Related: Former 5-star tight end Arik Gilbert announces he is moving to Florida

Georgia hasn’t made the most of tight ends under Kirby Smart. Charlie Woerner was included in the sixth round of last season’s NFL draft. Tre ‘McKitty looks set to be admitted to this year’s class, especially after a standout week in the Senior Bowl. In five seasons under Smart, Georgia still has as many passes as the 35 Gilbert as freshmen.

Woerner and McKitty each had fewer than 10 catches as seniors in Georgia. Talent wasn’t the problem with Georgia in the tight finishing position. The problems can be attributed to struggling quarterback play and changing offensive schedules.

In 2021, Monken will call back to plays. Daniels will return to distribute the ball. There is more stability around the attack in Georgia than in a long time.

There’s also quite a bit of talent on the tight end already. Todd Hartley, Georgia’s tight coach, has acquired outstanding talent in recent seasons. That’s part of why Georgia can take the hit from Gilbert to Florida. He may have been a need for many, but he wasn’t a need given the way Georgia has recruited for the position in recent seasons.

This brings us to Darnell Washington. Like Gilbert, he was a 5-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Georgia pulled him out of Las Vegas. His first season with Georgia was remarkable for a number of reasons.

At 1.85 meters and 250 pounds, Washington is a clear mismatch. That was evident in his first college game, when he pulled in a 26-yard pass.

Washington then had only one flyout in the seven games played by Georgia in October and November.

After Gilbert pulled out and his transfer from LSU appeared imminent in early December, Washington became a bigger part of the offense. Washington caught three passes against Missouri while also receiving a pass-interference penalty.

Then he added two more catches against Cincinnati, with one of the catches and runs looking like he was Darth Vader at the end of Rogue One.

After the Missouri game, Smart made a rather interesting comment about tight end use, especially since Gilbert may have been on the way.

“You can never have enough good tight ends in the SEC,” said Smart. ‘They are tall, athletic, they can catch the ball. There are so many things they can do. It’s one of those things we want as much as possible and we want to get them the ball. “

Smart stressed that throughout the season since the win, Georgia has been trying to find ways to involve Washington and how we can frustrate opposing defenses.

Georgia’s offensive coordinator and play-caller Todd Monken shared his thoughts on Washington and how he developed over the course of his freshman season.

“Darnell has from the moment I saw him, you can certainly see the benefit of being a tall, athletic, tough young man,” said Monken ahead of the Peach Bowl. ‘You can just see that. Which can be his advantage as a raw player. And, to boot, he’s a great kid. He’s a great boy. Always smiling. I have a great attitude about him. “

Monken acknowledged that McKitty and junior John FitzPatrick were ahead of Washington on the depth chart, which played a role in its development.

Because of their presence, Georgia didn’t feel the need to ask Washington to do too much early. Because of this, Washington didn’t produce the same numbers as Gilbert, catching 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns in just eight games.

The Georgia offensive coordinator felt more comfortable giving Washington a bigger role in Georgia’s attack as the season drew to a close.

“As he progressed and we become more comfortable with the quarterback, we obviously tried to get him a little bit more involved with Missouri as the game went on,” Washington said.

“I think he has an incredible advantage.”

Washington isn’t the only tight end with upside potential, as Georgia adds Brock Bowers to the position in 2021. Bowers was third in the 2021 hiring cycle and is already on the Georgia campus, where he has quickly made an impression during winter training. He joins FitzPatrick, Ryland Good and Brett Seither to catch up with Georgia’s tight room for next season.

Washington is now emerging as the center of position for Georgia in 2021. It may not produce the same statistics as Pitts or Gilbert, but there is a realistic chance that he will be more productive in the second year than Georgia’s tight goals in the United States. past seasons.

Gilbert may have a great career with Florida. It won’t help that the Bulldogs will see him on an annual basis now should his transfer statement be approved by both the NCAA and the SEC. But for the 2021 team, which has more urgent needs in second grade, he was a luxury.

With Washington and the rest of Georgia’s tight talent, the Bulldogs have more than enough potential in the room. It just needs to turn some of that potential and talent into production.

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