Gilbert always believed he could play

[JohnDeere 0]

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Never a doubt

Gilbert always believed he could play

By John C. Frierson

STAFF WRITER

Last Updated:September 28. 2006 9:24AM

Published: September 28. 2006 9:24AM

Zach Gilbert has faced doubters before. More often than not, he’s proved them wrong.Four years ago, when he told people that he was going to walk on at Auburn, what kind of odds did you think people gave him? After all, Gilbert was a lean 5-foot-10 cornerback who hadn’t played much his senior year at Bradshaw.

It’s OK if you didn’t give him much of a chance, he doesn’t care.

What matters to Gilbert is that he never doubted himself. Not for a second.

Now, three years later, Gilbert has earned a scholarship and is a key component in the second-ranked Tigers’ secondary. Auburn (4-0, 2-0 SEC) plays at South Carolina (3-1, 1-1) tonight.

“Nobody outside my family believed in me, but I’ve always been a determined guy,” the Florence native said. “There’s nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.”

Gilbert’s faith is a big part of who he is, and he said God has put him where he is today.

“God is driving and I’m just chillin’ in the passenger seat,” he said.

The seeds of Gilbert’s decision to walk on at Auburn were planted the summer before his senior year. Gilbert attended a football camp at Auburn, one that included the likes of LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and performed well enough to at least catch the attention of some of the Tigers’ coaches.

It was also during the camp that Gilbert himself realized that he could play with the guys that, unlike him, were being recruited by schools throughout the SEC.

“I had a great camp. I hung with a lot of the big-name guys that were there and that was when I knew ,” he said. “I knew that I wanted to go to Auburn the moment I set foot on campus. I knew it was a place that could bring out the best in me.”

Gilbert returned to Florence ready to prove himself, but his senior year didn’t go as planned. An ankle sprain in the middle of the season took him out of action for a while, but even when healthy he wasn’t getting much playing time.

He still managed to finish with 50 tackles and 800 yards rushing.

It was a season that Gilbert doesn’t like to talk about, but it didn’t keep him from pursuing his dream of playing in college.

“I wouldn’t ever change the things that have happened in my life,” he said. “I feel that I’m blessed and everything that has happened has in the end been good for me.”

Gilbert was a preferred walk-on at Auburn, meaning he was invited to try out, and he said he quickly felt comfortable and confident in his new surroundings.

“From the beginning I got a lot of reps with the first- and second-team guys, so I felt like the coaches saw me as more than a walk-on,” he said. “I’d see guys make plays, and then I’d go out and do the same thing.

“I was pretty confident, maybe too confident, but I really did feel like I belonged here.”

Gilbert made the team and eventually redshirted, but not before getting to travel with the team and dress out for the 2003 game at Georgia Tech.

Even though Gilbert didn’t get to play against the Yellow Jackets, and wouldn’t actually take the field until Sept. 4, 2004, against Louisiana-Monroe, just being in uniform for that one game was one of the highlights of his life.

“That first game … oh man. I’ll never forget it,” he said, the wonder still in his voice 26 games later. “I remember how loud the crowd was, but more than anything I remember what it felt like just to run out on the sideline. It was incredible.”

There’s an air of confidence around Gilbert – he concedes that some might consider it cockiness – that helps drive him. He said he learned at a young age that can’t was a dirty word at his house.

Back when he was in second grade, Gilbert said, his parents asked him to do something and he replied, “I can’t.” His parents, Tia and Larry Gilbert, then explained that he could, that he could do anything.

From that point on, he said, anytime he said “I can’t,” his parents took a toy away.

“I learned to think in terms of ‘I can’ pretty quickly,” he said, laughing. “You got to believe in what you can do.”

Gilbert has maintained that belief and is making the most of his abilities. He’s played in 26 games in his career, making 19 tackles and he has one interception.

This season, Gilbert has seen more playing time than ever before – most notably late in the Tigers’ 7-3 win over LSU – and so far he has seven tackles, including five solo.

Gilbert was almost the goat in the LSU game after he was called for pass interference on a fourth-down play in the closing minutes. Fortunately for Gilbert and the Tigers, his roommate, Eric Brock, bailed him out by tipping the ball.

“Roommates help each other out,” Brock said.

Now, Brock just wished his roommate would pick up a broom or sponge more often.

The two are in their second year of living together and Brock said he’s by far the neater of the two.

“I’m definitely the cleaner roommate,” he said. “The minute you walk into our place, you can tell whose stuff is whose.”

If he wants Gilbert to clean up a little more often, the trick might be telling him that he can’t. Odds are, the problem will be licked in no time.

Gilbert is majoring in public administration, with a minor in business, and hesaid he hopes to graduate in the spring, or this summer at the latest.

After next season he said he plans to take a shot at the NFL.

“I know it’s a longshot, but if you don’t try then you’ll never make it,” he said. “A lot of people are scared to try … I’m more afraid of not trying.”

[jtweeks 0]

He got USED last night!

[JohnDeere 0]

He got USED last night!

I can only remeber two catches made in front of him..I know one was on a 3rd and long (out route).

[jtweeks 0]

Who was trying to cover McKinley?

[Draven 0]

Who was trying to cover McKinley?

1st half Gilbert, 2nd well should I say 4th quarter it was Powers with help from Brock/Savage for the most part.

Not a big knock on Gilbert but he was a step and a half behind Mckinely three different times in the 1st half.

[tiger88 934]

This is a classless thread to start. The guy had a tough game and I'm sure no one is more disappointed than he is. No need to try and rub it in his face.

[WeagleDMS 0]

This is a classless thread to start. The guy had a tough game and I'm sure no one is more disappointed than he is. No need to try and rub it in his face.

How is it classless to point out that he isn't good enough at this point? No one is attacking Gilbert, just the way he played. Face it, he got beat like a rented mule and it is not classless to point that out. I'm sure he's a great kid, still didn't make plays last night especially on the last drive of the 2nd qtr.

[tiger88 934]

This is a classless thread to start. The guy had a tough game and I'm sure no one is more disappointed than he is. No need to try and rub it in his face.

How is it classless to point out that he isn't good enough at this point? No one is attacking Gilbert, just the way he played. Face it, he got beat like a rented mule and it is not classless to point that out. I'm sure he's a great kid, still didn't make plays last night especially on the last drive of the 2nd qtr.

If you don't understand it then I probably can't explain it to you. I can only assume that you are too young to understand or have little class based on what you said here.

This board isn't like talking with your buds. It is public and anyone can come here and look and see how crude some doofuses are to our players who lay it all on the line to play. It takes a lot of guts to step out on that field with a national audience watching. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose.

Sometimes your own fans trash you on a public forum. Say what you like you can't keep idiots off a public forum can you?

[JohnDeere 0]

This is a classless thread to start. The guy had a tough game and I'm sure no one is more disappointed than he is. No need to try and rub it in his face.

The article was published Wednesday.

This guy walked on four years ago and 'earned' a scholarship this fall. He had a good game against LSU.