ASU's overall recruiting efforts on the East Coast during this 2021 clas cycle have been quite evident and today yielded another desired dividends, as 6-6 Philadephia linebacker/defensive lineman Eric Gentry committed to the Sun Devils.
“I felt more connected with the coaches there," Gentry said of his pledge that . "I feel Arizona State had father figures. They had a lot of mentors. They’ve seen a lot of things relatable in life that I’ve already been through with athletics and school and everything. Plus, even some NFL coaching staffs don’t have the amount of experience that Arizona State has. It is wild the type of coaching staff that is there.
"My dad told me and my coaches that, ‘if a place feels like home,’ you wouldn’t realize how far away it is.' The weather, the environment. The school is ethnically diverse. No problems there. It’s just a great place to be. I’m just happy to be there.”
Throughout the recruiting process has raved about the Sun Devil coaches’ ability to keep his family in the loop on all the happenings of his recruitment and build relationships with him. Yet, above everything else, it’s the pro experience their coaches carry.
“Just knowing that they’ve been there, and that could be a great connection for me trying to get to the NFL,” Gentry said. “Coach Pierce said he really likes the way I play. I always appreciate someone -- especially of his caliber, being in the NFL and being successful in the league -- talking with me and acknowledging me. It’s always been (about) lessons. Always something new to learn, new to find out. I always keep things in my head that are meaningful, and that will help me.
“I’m so happy that he (Pierce) even had the talk when he first gave me a scholarship. We had a 30 minute talk. He was telling me how I could change the scheme. Me being at the 4-3 or 3-4 (as a linebacker) or whatever, I could change the scheme he said. And I put on weight during the season. I got faster and I started covering slots one-on-one a lot easier which has now become normal now to me. He was like 'man, it is absurd.' He sent me videos of other people that are same size as me that obviously don’t move as smooth as I do. He was like ‘man, you just going to bring something different to the table.”
The fact that that he has been recruited in earnest by both ASU’s linebackers’ coach, Antonio Pierce, and defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez, is naturally a testament to Gentry’s versatility to play both positions, a trait that clearly stood out to Rivals’ recruiting analyst Alec Simpson.
“The Sun Devils have recruited Gentry as a linebacker, but with his size and frame, he could really transition well to the defensive end position,” Simpson commented. “With some time in a Pac-12 weight room setting, Gentry will surely develop well and fill out his wide frame. This commit brings a solid level of athleticism to the table for his size. As we can see on the first play on tape, he runs with a receiver and snags an interception out of the air. At 6-6, he’s surely able to bring that coverage ability, which proves he’s a solid athlete.
“Gentry also does a great job of seeing the play develop in front of him and being able to instinctually sniff out where the ball is to make a play on the football. Why he fits better at the defensive end position is with his unique skill set, he’s able to get skinny and use his athleticism to get to the quarterback, so Sun Devil fans may see him on the outside edge in the future.
“There’s certainly some portions of his game that need improvement as Gentry is still very raw, yet still has a very high ceiling. I would definitely like to see him get more physical in his pass rush and use more of a swim/rip move on his opposing offensive linemen. As Gentry only weighs 205 pounds, once he puts on the required weight, there will definitely be more of a physicality component present in his game. It is at times hard to instruct a 6-6 lineman to get a bit lower out of his stance, but that’s exactly what Gentry needs to do to explode out of his stance in his get-off from the line of scrimmage.
“Overall, I believe the Sun Devil staff has landed a terrific addition from the State of Pennsylvania as Gentry is listed as the no. 25 overall player in that state.”
Gentry is more than happy with whatever role is in store for him in Tempe.
"I told the coaches that whatever you want me to play I’m going to play it," Gentry remarked, "because I’ve played everything on the field. I played safety. I could guard someone one-on-one. I’ve played D-End. So there’s nothing that I can’t do. I’ve been in the 4-3 position before. And with me being a SAM linebacker so it’s been a lot of things I’ve done. And they understand that and they understand like the athletic gift that I do have. He does always constantly just tell me like ‘man, whatever it is, are you cool with that?’ I said, man, I’m just happy to be here.”
Gentry held over a dozen offers and was reportedly down to choosing between the Sun Devils and Virginia. Michigan State, Syracuse, Washington, and Oregon were some of the more notable programs that have pursued this 2021 prospect.
Gentry is ASU’s 17th known commit in the 2021 class and the 11th Arizona State pledge from the Central/Eastern time zone.
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