The Arizona Wildcats pretty much knew at the beginning of last season that this would happen, but senior defensive end Reggie Gilbert has officially been granted a fifth year of eligibility from the NCAA.
In his freshman season, Gilbert appeared in six games, primarily on special teams. He failed to record a tackle in those games, and was shut down after the sixth game due to injury.
You could tell that this has been in the works for a while now. The most obvious sign that this was coming was Gilbert not being included in the Senior Day festivities last year. But it started becoming a reality earlier in the season when the defensive end had not been named a captain more than halfway through the season.
On a defensive line that has been the weakness of this Arizona defense, it is crucial to have a guy like Reggie Gilbert back next season. He'll bring that leadership and game experience, and bestow all his knowledge on a lot of young guys that are coming in who are looking to make a name for themselves, and bring respectability to Arizona's defensive line.