Report: LSU offensive star feeling homesick, 'heavily considering leaving LSU'

It has been a long, rough year for the LSU Tigers in 2020 after they won the national championship in 2019.

A huge number of players left for the NFL this offseason, and then, before the year, star WR Ja’Marr Chase (among others) opted out. Then, last week, fellow star WR Terrace Marshall Jr. opted out.

Now, according to a report from LSU insider Brody Miller, freshman 5-star TE Arik Gilbert is feeling homesick and is considering leaving the program. Per Miller, Gilbert didn’t practice on Monday:

#LSU star freshman Arik Gilbert is heavily considering leaving LSU and missed practice today, sources tell The Athletic. @247Sports first to report.

Gilbert has been homesick since he arrived, sources say, and LSU is currently fighting to keep him.

— Brody Miller (@BrodyAMiller) December 8, 2020

Gilbert was the No. 5 player in the 2020 class, the No. 1 tight end and the No. 1 recruit from the state of Georgia, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

This year, Gilbert has played in 8 games, recording 35 catches for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This would be a huge loss for the LSU offense, especially since the Tigers were excited for his potential moving forward. Will the Marietta, Georgia, native consider a move back closer to home? Say, to Georgia, perhaps? We’ll find out over the next few weeks, it seems.