LSU football: Arik Gilbert may return to Tigers after all

LSU football may end up getting former five-star tight end Arik Gilbert back with the transfer prospect visits the Tigers in a recruiting twist.

The best recruiting sagas include all kinds of twists and turns. Arik Gilbert’s transfer story is providing those.

Gilbert took a trip back to Baton Rouge to start the weekend, lighting up hopes that the star tight end could return to LSU.

It’ll be up to Ed Orgeron and the staff to work the same magic that convinced Gilbert to sign on with the program in the first place.

Arik Gilbert has left college football fans uncertain about where he’ll end up

Gilbert was a highly-touted prospect in the class of 2020 as a five-star tight end. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder out of Georgia ranked fifth nationally in the 247Sports composite.

The Georgia Bulldogs had the home field advantage, but LSU enticed Gilbert to sign with their fourth-ranked recruiting class.

At first, it looked like a match made in heaven. Gilbert caught a touchdown pass in his debut and went on to rack up 368 yards on 35 catches through eight games as LSU’s second-leading receiver. However, rumors of homesickness emerged in December and the talented tight end opted out of the remainder of the season. He entered the transfer portal soon after.

Gilbert committed to transfer to Florida in late January, but by the end of February, he was on the move again. For the second time this offseason, he looks like the move valuable transfer on the market.

Georgia remains a potential destination, as do Alabama and Clemson. At this point, who could be surprised by Gilbert deciding to roll it back with LSU?

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