Linebacker Eric Gentry: Our Backs are Against the Wall
TEMPE -- There's been a heavy sense of an "us against the world" mentality from the Sun Devils. Linebacker Eric Gentry was the latest to echo that statement.
"(It feels like we have our) backs against the wall," Gentry said after a spring practice. "People don't believe in us, not everybody thinks we can be the same team as we were last year. They'll find out during the season, during the spring game, whatever. Honestly, I'm proud of this team and everybody from the defense. No matter if you're a one or three (on the depth chart) you got a voice.
"I'd say (the team is) more chippier. It's a lot of opportunities to be (had), so everybody (is) hungry to get it. If you can see during the whole practice, we got a real competitive defense. It don't matter what it is, even when we were in strength conditioning it was competitive."
A few Sun Devils, including head coach Herm Edwards, has noted the team's chemistry was on a different vibe than previous years.
"I love it. It's a bond, it's a brotherhood. We're so tight, like I said we're brothers. I just asked (the guys) before, 'What you're doing? Like what are you doing after this? Come pull up!' We will just go to this house and we go chill, there's times where half of the defense was chillin' at somebody's house," Gentry said.
Social media posts from his teammates reach the same conclusion: Arizona State is a tight group, on and off the field.
Gentry says he's been working hard in a few different areas after a dominant freshman campaign that quickly saw him elevate to one of the bright up and coming stars of the Pac-12.
He insisted, "Just being a leader. Trying my best to be a leader and help 34 (Kyle Soelle) and 8 (Merlin Robertson) as much as I can. When I came in, that's who I looked up to. They're still here, so that's why I'm helping them. Every single practice I get the defense together, get them hyped and motivated. Coaches and everybody come to me, telling me I'm a leader (with me) not realizing it at the beginning."
Gentry, who played next to linebacker Darien Butler in 2021, said he idolizes Butler in almost every facet. With Butler set to hit the NFL, Gentry still keeps in contact with him.
"That's my favorite player right there. 2-0 is my favorite player. Always. We talk all the time. I just want to pick his brain about how the NFL is going (and) how he feels. Like I said, he's the epitome for me, the highest he can be for me as a football player," said Gentry.
Gentry's length (6-foot-6) and athleticism has paved the way for success through one season of play, yet he knows that won't be enough in order to keep growing and eventually push Arizona State to where they need to be. Gentry said the weight room became a huge priority this offseason and he added 12 pounds to his frame since January.
"Oh, just love the weight room," Gentry said. "I used to say, 'Ugh, weights!' but this year I have no problem with going in by myself, lifting, go grabbing a card and doing what I got to do.
"Coach Joe (Connolly) always saw the vision when I first came here. He always told me I was going to be his project. Every year he's got a project to build somebody up . . . He always said I was gonna be a project for him. Just being able to lift weights, when it comes to winning, I know that's gonna help my team (and) when I do that, I'm happy to see the results because now I'm able to realize how stronger I am and be able to move people off me."
If a freshman Gentry was able to make plays like stopping UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson on fourth-and-goal with inches to spare before hitting the end zone, even the sky might not be the limit for his potential in the future.
For now, however, Gentry will focus on what he's able to control, which is becoming a better leader on and off the field.