Max Gilbert's move from Tennessee to Arkansas in January now comes with an immediate storyline: he is set to face his former team this weekend in Fayetteville.
It is the kind of matchup that adds a personal layer to an SEC game, especially for a player who spent his first three seasons with the Vols before moving on. Gilbert said he still has plenty of appreciation for Tennessee, calling Knoxville "an unbelievable place" and saying, "I’ll never say anything bad about the staff or the people." He added that it was "an unbelievable opportunity to play for a program like that," and said he will always love Knoxville and that program.
Gilbert's Tennessee background still matters
The background here is straightforward. Gilbert's time at Tennessee included both a memorable high point and a painful ending. In 2024, he made a 41-yard field goal to give Tennessee a 24-17 lead over Alabama, one of the moments he still remembers fondly. He also had the chance last season to give Tennessee its first win over Georgia since 2016, but he missed the field goal that would have done it.
That makes this weekend's game more than just a transfer reunion. It is a chance to revisit a familiar chapter for Gilbert, even if the setting is different now. Arkansas brought him in during January, and he has settled into his role on the kicking unit quickly.
How he has looked at Arkansas
Through this season, Gilbert has made seven of his nine field goal attempts and all 10 of his PAT chances for Arkansas. Those numbers suggest a steady start in his new home, and they give the Hogs another reliable specialist as they prepare for Tennessee in Fayetteville.
Gilbert's favorite Tennessee memory, at least the one he mentioned most clearly, came against Alabama. He recalled his redshirt freshman year, saying Tennessee played Alabama at home, he hit a fourth-quarter field goal to put the Vols up seven, and then Will Brooks picked off the next play to help seal it. Gilbert said, "That was crazy. They stormed the field."
Now the former Tennessee kicker gets a different kind of spotlight: not a memory inside Neyland Stadium, but a reunion against the Vols in Arkansas colors.
