ASU LB transfer Eric Gentry should be a sure-fire Texas target

In all likelihood, one of the best linebackers that will emerge in the NCAA Transfer Portal throughout this offseason just surfaced on the transfer market this week, giving the Texas football program someone to pay attention to as spring ball concludes. This key potential linebacker target for Texas in the transfer portal that emerged this week is the former Arizona State Sun Devils breakout freshman Eric Gentry.

The former under-the-radar three-star recruit and Philadelphia, PA, native had a strong freshman campaign for head coach Herm Edwards and the Sun Devils in the PAC-12 South. But Gentry still joined the plethora of players leaving Edwards and Arizona State for the transfer portal this offseason.

He specifically put his name in the transfer portal on April 21, which was confirmed by multiple reports, including one from AZ Central.

Gentry immediately becomes one of the most valuable linebackers in the transfer portal after leaving Arizona State this week. And this could be coming at a good time for the Longhorns as he could fill one of the biggest positions of need as spring ball is about to wrap up this weekend.

The main reason why this could be good timing for the Longhorns is the fact that Gentry could be a great linebacker option to turn to out of the portal if they miss out on another key target on April 22. Texas and the Miami Hurricanes are the two finalists it appears for the UCLA Bruins transfer linebacker Caleb Johnson, who is set to announce his decision on the evening of April 22.

If Texas misses out on Johnson, Gentry would be a great next linebacker target up for Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate to bolster this part of the defense.

Texas football should immediately be in contact with ASU transfer LB Eric Gentry

Gentry might actually be an upgrade compared to Johnson. He is a reigning Freshman All-American that was one of the most impressive and impactful freshman linebackers in the entire country last fall.

What Gentry could bring to the table for the Longhorns if they do pursue him out of the portal this offseason is a versatile and potent linebacker that could effectively fill a few different spots at this level of the defense. Gentry mostly took his snaps last fall playing as a weakside linebacker for Arizona State.

But he could be a solid fit for the Longhorns as a rather switchable linebacker between lining up at the weakside or playing in the middle. Those are the two spots where the 6-foot-6 and 205-pound Gentry took most of his defensive snaps with the Sun Devils last season.

In terms of where Gentry fits with the Longhorns, he could challenge the likes of rising junior linebacker Jaylan Ford and senior Luke Brockermeyer for starting reps at middle linebacker. He could also compete with super senior Ovie Oghoufo and freshman Justice Finkley at the buck position.

Gentry is a lot lankier than you would usually see out of a middle linebacker for the Longhorns. For a comparison, Brockermeyer stands at 6-foot-3 and 225-pounds and Ford is 6-foot-2 and 223-pounds. Gentry has at least three inches more height and at least 20 fewer pounds of weight than Brockermeyer and/or Ford.

But Gentry overcomes that with a quick jump off the line of scrimmage and enough craftiness to get past opposing blockers. He’s got pretty insane physical tools and athleticism that help him to overcome any lack of weight on his frame.

He proved just how good he can be in limited reps for most of his true freshman campaign in 2021. In 10 games played (with nearly 350 defensive snaps), Gentry was very productive for the Sun Devils’ defensive front.

Gentry registered 45 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups last season. He was a very sure tackler, as he missed only five tackles last season. That was good for a team-best missed tackle rate of 10.0 among Arizona State linebackers.

He was also solid defending the run, coming up with just over a dozen stops on running plays.

To top it all off, Gentry was one of the more effective linebackers when he was called upon to drop into pass coverage. He was second on the team last season among linebackers in coverage grade and didn’t allow a single passing touchdown and a 78.7 NFL QBR in pass coverage assignments last season.

All in all, the potency and versatility of Gentry would clearly make a positive on the Texas defense. Texas should clearly at least establish communication with Gentry and see how interested he is in becoming a Longhorn.

As of now, we haven’t heard much about Texas establishing communication with Gentry, but it would definitely make sense for this coaching staff to at least reach out.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12), missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2016. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns will open up the 2022 season at home on Sep. 3 against Louisiana-Monroe.