Name: Andrew Gentry
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 327 lbs.
High school: Littleton (CO) Columbine
Position: Offensive line
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #75
Last year: I ranked Gentry #72 and said he would be a backup offensive lineman and special teamer (LINK). He played in fifteen games.
TTB Rating: 85
The story of Gentry's recruitment is probably well known at this point, but it's worth reminding people: he originally committed to Virginia in the class of 2020, but he went on a two-year mission. By the time he returned to college football, he didn't want to be a Cavalier anymore and chose to be a Wolverine. He joined Michigan in 2022 and played in three games before being a fifteen-game contributor last year.
I have the choice in the countdown of either going with my gut or going with what the coaches have done. My gut tells me that Gentry has not looked great when I've seen him on the field. I'm not writing him off, but sometimes it takes linemen a while to develop, and he took two years off from football. On the other hand, Gentry actually played a couple dozen snaps at offensive tackle - which is the open position for 2024 - while one of the other main competitors, Jeffrey Persi, played exclusively at guard. So do I go with what I've seen or what the coaches chose to do in 2023?
I'm going to lean toward Persi being the more valuable player for 2024. Gentry's feet have been questionable, and he hasn't got a ton of movement when I've watched him. He has added about 15 pounds this off-season to get up to an impressive 327 going into the year, so perhaps that extra bulk/strength will be a factor. But for now I'm going to peg him as a backup.
Prediction: Backup offensive lineman and special teamer
It's definitely not definitive! But I would think Gentry playing as a backup OT last year while Persi played OG and the fact that Persi continues to practice at both spots means that Gentry is in line to start.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, one of the very most positive rumblings I've heard from fall camp is that the coaching staff seems to like their depth along the OL. Supposedly there are 9 or 10 guys who they feel good about playing. To a pessimist this might mean that the starters aren't that much better than the backups, but in this case with Michigan having a couple of proven players (Priebe and Hinton) plus high caliber recruits who have been waiting in the wings for years (Crippen and El Hadi) -- I think it's a very good sign that guys like Link and Anderson are competing for starting jobs and deemed ready to step in as needed.
Didn't Persi start at Tackle a few years ago? I don't think he was any good, but a Tackle who can play Guard shouldn't be discounted. Maybe the opposite, and he's at least our 6th OL
ReplyDeleteI recall Gentry at Guard during last year's spring game. He stood too tall, wasn't very agile, and got BLOWN UP ... I hope if he's the guy it's because he's come along at a very fast pace