Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert is signing with Arkansas out of the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos. Gilbert has spent the past two years kicking for the Volunteers.
Gilbert is a career 75.6% field goal kicker, while he is a perfect 118-for-118 on extra-point attempts. He is coming off a season in which he hit a career long from 53 yards.
During the 2025 campaign, Max Gilbert went 14-of-19 on field goals. He missed two from the 30-39 yard range, missed two from 40-49 yards and missed one kick from 50-plus yards.
That came on the heels of a season in which Gilbert went 20-of-26 on field goal attempts. He was nearly perfect — going 13-of-14 — on field goals inside of 40 yards. He also hit three 50-plus yard field goals.
In his career, Max Gilbert has now made five field goals from beyond 50 yards. He has scored 220 career points.
Prior to enrolling at Tennessee, Max Gilbert was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 1,939 overall recruit in his class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 22 kicker in the country, hailing from Memphis (TN) Lausanne.
Max Gilbert could have some competition
Arkansas’ kicker situation is now fascinating. The program also took a transfer from Georgia State kicker Braeden McAlister.
He nailed a 60-yard field goal against Marshall on Nov. 15. That was tied for the second-longest field goal in the NCAA this season. It also broke a school record, and tied the Sun Belt record for longest field goal in conference history.
He went on to appear in 12 games for the Panthers. He went 7-8 on PATs — and the 60-yard field goal was just one of two field goals he kicked all year long. McAlister served as a kickoff specialist mainly, recording 36 touchbacks on 43 kickoffs.
McAlister will be playing in his sixth season of college football. He spent three years at Georgia State, but began his career at Charlotte.
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this report.