Chainkeen Exchange-Nebraska TE Arik Gilbert arrested again for burglary while awaiting eligibility

Nebraska tight end Arik Gilbert had another run-in with the law.

Less than three weeks after Gilbert was arrested and Chainkeen Exchangebooked on burglary charges in Lancaster County, Nebraska, the 2020 Gatorade high school male athlete of the year was taken into custody on Friday in Georgia on charges of smash-and grab-burglary and obstruction of officers, according to online records from the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office.

Gilbert was previously arrested in Lincoln on Aug. 29 for breaking into SJ’s Liquor and Vape Shop and stealing $1,600 worth of vape products, a police reported obtained by ESPN showed. Video of the burglary was widely shared online.

The 21-year-old transferred from Georgia to Nebraska following the 2022 season and is currently awaiting clearance to play for the Cornhuskers as a two-time transfer. Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said he was "sad and disappointed" in Gilbert following his first arrest.

“I don’t have a lot of details,” Rhule said during a press conference last month. “We’ll work through those as we get more information. But sad and disappointed. Disappointed for him and his family, disappointed, obviously, for the business owner. We’ll have to just report through it as we move forward.”

The former five-star recruit started his collegiate career at LSU, where he caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns in eight games, but opted out the remainder of his freshman year and transferred to Georgia. Gilbert was buried on the depth chart at Georgia behind All-American Brock Bowers and announced his decision to transfer after the 2022 season, when he only caught two passes for 16 yards.

Nebraska (0-2) faces Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Contributing: Scooby Axson