Nights Before Neyland: Why Carson Gentle Is The Most Disruptive Tennessee DL
Tennessee knew they wanted three-star defensive lineman Carson Gentle from the moment they offered him in June 2021. He's an in-state kid from right up the road - the University of Tennessee is 110 miles away from Gentle's high school, McCallie. The coaches knew that if they went the extra mile early on, they could get an early commitment.
That's exactly what happened. A little over a year after Tennessee extended the offer to Gentle, he committed to the Vols. He's been locked in with Tennessee since he committed last July and had an excellent junior season. Gentle won't be a big topic of conversation on national recruiting shows this fall, but he's what Tennessee wants. They bring these types of players into their program, develop them for a few seasons, and then turn them loose as productive SEC football players. Gentle flashed a lot of potential during 2022 and is the state of Tennessee's top returning defensive lineman. He carries a ton of confidence in his game, telling me that he's "the most underrated defensive lineman in the country and should be part of any national discussion."
Sometimes you can tell more about a player by his surroundings than by his play itself. That partially applies in this situation. When you turn on Gentle's tape, you notice the competition - Power-5 bodies are all over the field. McCallie plays in a district with Brentwood Academy, Knoxville Catholic, Lipscomb Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy, and The Baylor School. Tennessee fans should be well acquainted with these names, as they field dozens of other Volunteer targets. This is one of the most talent-rich divisions in the southeast, and Gentle is the commanding force on a team that went 10-3 and only gave up 18.3 points per game in 2022. He logged 43 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks last year, earning all-state marks for the second consecutive season.
2024 DL Carson Gentle
The body type here is projectable. Gentle is 6-4 and 250 pounds with an elite wrestling background, an all-state track resume, and varsity basketball experience. He isn't the most explosive lateral mover, but Gentle has strong flexibility and captures the corner well on opposing offensive tackles. He's a twitchy athlete that thrives when he can get downhill and charge after the ball carrier.
Gentle is a very long player that uses his wingspan to his advantage. Extending your weight through your arms early when you engage allows you to drive through your hands and finish. Gentle does this on each according rep, getting full extention with a long wingspan and shoving the offensive linemen into the backfield. Another benefit of having long arms is that Gentle can peek around blocks while latching, seeing which alley the ball carrier takes before throwing his matchup to the side and making the tackle.
He does need some refinement before playing snaps on a live college field. Gentle plays all over for McCallie, including some inside linebacker where they let him play in space. While playing 4i, 5-tech, 6-tech, 7-tech, a wide-9, and other assorted duties are great in high school, few maintain that versatility in the SEC. Tennessee will evaluate his senior year and see how his body continues progressing, but at this very moment, I'd bet they opt to play him at the strongside defensive end and put on around ten pounds of muscle before getting Gentle real snaps.
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