Latest news with #EricGentry
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Eric Gentry will be a huge X-factor for the Trojans this season
The heart and soul of this USC football team is Butkus Award watch list linebacker Eric Gentry. Not only has Gentry been having a great offseason and camp, but he is becoming a leader for this improved defense. Eric Gentry is one of the best returning linebackers in college football. This season he is trying to put it all together. Last season in five games and two starts, Gentry was extremely productive, racking up 33 tackles, including 6.5 for loss with 2 sacks. His versatility was always on full display. He also had 1 PBU and 1 fumble recovery. There are so many ways to use this freakishly athletic defender. He will be the biggest X-factor for this defense if it is going to reach new heights in its improvement. PFF gave Gentry excellent grades across the board last season; he received an 83.4 defensive grade, a 92.6 run defense grade, and a 75.6 pass rush grade. With him being fully healthy and getting after it in camp, Gentry his turning heads. Most notably he has his starting quarterback taking notice of the problems he can create for opposing offenses. In a recent tweet, Ryan Kartje of the LA Times broke down Jayden Maiava's thoughts on the star linebacker for USC: "USC QB Jayden Maiava was asked which defender was giving him the most trouble during practice. Maiava: 'For sure, Eric Gentry. He's covering half the field himself.'" Eric Gentry will be a problem this season for opposing offenses. It is very encouraging to see that he is fully healthy and picking up right where he left off last season before he got hurt. If the Trojans want to compete in the Big Ten and contend for a playoff berth, they will need players such as Gentry to be healthy difference makers.
USA Today
08-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Three USC running backs named to Doak Walker Award watch list
The start of the 2025 college football season is just around the corner. That means watch list season is officially upon us. Last week, USC football linebacker Eric Gentry was named to the Butkus Award Watch List. This past week, the Doak Walker Award watch list dropped, and it featured not one, not two, but three Trojans. First up was Eli Sanders. A transfer from New Mexico who started his career at Iowa State, Sanders rushed for over 1,000 yards with the Lobos last season, and figures to play a major role in the Trojans' offense in 2025. Up next was Waymond Jordan. A junior college tranfser, Jordan has earned high praise from USC's coaching staff already despite having been on campus for a relatively short period of time. The third and final running back named to the watch list was Bryan Jackson. As a true freshman with the Trojans last season, Jackson saw limited playing time, before breaking out in USC's final two games against Notre Dame and Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. In those two contests, he rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown. Now, he will look to earn more carries as a sophomore this season. USC's running back room will certainly have plenty of eyes on it this season. It will be interesting to see who steps up as the primary back(s) and whether or not the position group is able to live up to the hype surrounding it.
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC linebacker Eric Gentry named named to 2025 Butkus Award watch list
USC Trojans linebacker Eric Gentry is not the traditional prototype for the linebacker position. He stands at 6 foot 6, but he uses every bit of size and length to make him a nightmare for opposing offenses. This senior defensive stud has a lot of experience under his belt playing one year at Arizona State and then three seasons at USC. That experience is why Gentry was named to the Butkus Award watch list. The Butkus Award is given to the best linebacker in the country. If Gentry either wins the award or comes close, USC football will benefit. The central key connected to Eric Gentry in 2025 at USC is that he must stay healthy. Two Gentry seasons have been derailed by injuries. Last season, Gentry had an outstanding month of September but was injured at the end of the month against Wisconsin. His absence was acutely felt as the season moved along. USC lacked the defensive depth needed to be elite. The defense did a good job, given that it was shorthanded, but it remained that USC football was not in good position to win enough games to make the College Football Playoff. If USC is to go 10-2 in 2025 and compete for a playoff spot, Eric Gentry has to be healthy the whole year. Let's see if he can avoid the injury bug and catapult the Trojans to the top tier of the Big Ten. Rob Ryan gets to coach Eric Gentry one year after Matt Entz did a good job with the former ASU Sun Devil. No one should expect a drop-off in coaching quality. Eric Gentry should be great for the Trojans ... as long as his body cooperates.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Eric Gentry, Kamari Ramsey named to LOTT Impact Trophy watch list
Eric Gentry, Kamari Ramsey named to LOTT Impact Trophy watch list The start of the 2025 college football season is drawing closer and closer. Now in June, watch list season is officially upon us. Last week, we got our first USC watch list announcement of the year with the news that both Eric Gentry and Kamari Ramsey were named to the LOTT Impact Trophy Watch List. After dealing with injuries last season, Gentry is hoping to return to form in his final year of eligibility in 2025. When healthy, the linebacker—who transferred in from Arizona State in 2022—has been one of the Trojans' best defensive players. Ramsey started his college career across town at UCLA, before following defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to UCLA last year. After an impressive first season with the Trojans in 2024, the hard-hitting safety was projected as a mid-round NFL draft pick. However, Ramsey elected to return to USC for his redshirt junior year, and should be one of the leaders of the Trojans' defense in 2025. The LOTT Impact Trophy is presented each year to a defensive player who demonstrates both elite athletic ability and strong personal character. Since the award was first given out in 2007, no USC player has won it. However, four Trojans have been finalists, Devon Kennard in 2913, Adoree' Jackson in 2016, Talanoa Hufanga in 2029, and Tuli Tuipululotu in 2022.
