Eric Gentry adds to football’s legacy

If you were to stand next to sophomore linebacker Eric Gentry, it would be almost impossible to ignore the physical traits he possesses. Gentry stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 200 pounds, but what may be most intriguing about his physique is his 7-foot-1 wingspan.

Gentry cites eighth grade as the year he had a growth spurt, sprouting from 5-foot-11 to around 6-foot-3. 

“I started playing linebacker because of my confidence in myself,” Gentry said. “I’m confident in how I play and I’m not really letting outside noise affect me.”

That young, growing Gentry took full advantage of his rare combination of height and length to excel in athletics, playing football and basketball at Saints Neumann Goretti High School in Philadelphia. Gentry loved both sports, but decided that committing to football full time would give him the best opportunity to play at the collegiate level.

“My coach explained scholarships to me,” Gentry said. “It’s harder to get scholarships in basketball and I didn’t have as many scholarships for basketball as I did for football.”

A linebacker and defensive end, Gentry had a breakout season his junior year, totaling 15 sacks, 2 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries on defense, along with 2 touchdown catches at tight end.

In July 2020, Gentry announced his commitment to Arizona State University.  Hailing from Philadelphia, Gentry knew receiving an offer from a Pac-12 school was something he could not pass up.

“Not many people from the east coast get a Pac-12 type of offer,” Gentry said. “It was really important to me to have confidence in myself to know that I’m an impact player.”

Gentry had 45 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, one sack and two pass deflections in his 12 games played as a freshman for the Sun Devils. After one season with ASU, Gentry sought a fresh start and transferred to USC this fall of 2022, wanting to be a part of the storied USC football tradition.

“I wanted to go somewhere to start history and somewhere where there was already history,” Gentry said. “I wanted to start somewhere new and start somewhere different.”

Throughout his career so far, Gentry has developed the mentality of playing with something to prove every time he steps onto the field.

“I’m just trying to get better every day,” Gentry said. “I don’t want to feel like I’m proven or respected ,and I don’t want to feel like the team or defense is respected. I’m really just trying to get the team to the best that it can be.”

Gentry has already proven himself to be one of the most impactful members of USC’s defense. He recorded 7 tackles in his debut game against Rice, and increased that total to 10 against Stanford. Facing Fresno State and Oregon State, Gentry had 15 combined tackles and was able to make his mark most evident in clutch fashion during USC’s thrilling win in Corvallis last Saturday.

Gentry nabbed his first interception of the season in the second quarter, picking off Oregon State quarterback Chase Nolan at the 30-yard line to preserve a 7-0 Trojan lead. On OSU’s final drive, Gentry was also able to deflect a pass, one which was ultimately intercepted by defensive back Max Williams to seal the victory for USC. Whenever Trojan players and coaches are asked about Gentry, they remark his distinct effect on the game — one which was obvious on Saturday against the Beavers.

“It’s definitely unique, I’ve never played next to somebody with that kind of length,” linebacker Shane Lee said about Gentry’s abilities. “You can’t throw a short ball when Eric’s there, you’ve just got to throw it up.”

Over his short time at USC so far, Gentry’s teammates and coaches have become impressed with him not just as a football player, but as a leader on the defense. When it comes to press conferences, Gentry is usually soft-spoken, saying no more than he needs. However, when on the field with his teammates, Gentry is among the most vocal players on the team.

“Eric brings a lot of energy,” Lee said. “He’s always yelling, screaming and trying to get guys up. He’s always trying to spread positive energy and attitude throughout the defense and throughout the team. Since he’s gotten here, he’s been trying to bring guys together and help us propel this thing forward.”

Gentry’s coaches and teammates have seen him improve more and more each week since he began playing at USC.

“He’s making more routine plays,” Head Coach Lincoln Riley said. “He was making the splash plays when you looked at his film last year and he was making splash plays early on in camp. You can see how his length affects the game and the physicality he plays with. Now he’s doing it with less mistakes and making solid plays.”

One coach that has gotten to watch Gentry as close as anyone this season is defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. When looking at Gentry’s film, it is difficult not to think about the kind of potential he has going forward.

“On film, he stood out as a run and hit type of guy,” Grinch said. “You see the good stuff and I think with all guys there’s question marks, but by and large he’s answered them. Just wait until he gets good.”

USC was able to beat Oregon State by finding a way to escape a low scoring and scrappy defensive battle. The Trojans’ offense has seen firsthand how the defense, and Gentry in particular, is improving as the season goes on.

“You just see him maturing week by week,” redshirt junior wide receiver Tahj Washington said. “He’s grown so much from when he first got here compared to now and he’s going to grow much more.”

Gentry is very aggressive on the football field, stating that he never liked offense and always wanted to play defense because of the physicality and challenge it presents. When asked what players he looked up to, he picks guys like Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

Parsons has been a player to whom Gentry got to pay particular attention, as both are originally from Pennsylvania — they’ve even played on the same 7-on-7 team. 

Despite sharing similarities with some of the best NFL athletes, Gentry has a humble mindset: When it comes time to play, he believes, those who focus the most on hard work will become the game’s best players.

“I’m not really worried about any intangibles,” Gentry said. “That’s just how I am; I have the heart.”

Gentry transferred to USC with a goal of making history. Based on how promising he has looked so far, he is well on his way to doing just that for the Trojans.