USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Evaluates 'Thin' Linebacker Group: Eric Gentry, Desman Stephens

USC Trojans linebackers coach Rob Ryan completed his first practice as a member of the USC staff on Tuesday. Ryan, who returns the college level for the first time since 1999 replaced Matt Entz after he left to become the head coach at Fresno State.

With Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Mason Cobb out of eligibility, former four-star recruit Raesjon Davis transferring to Oregon State and the Trojans not adding a linebacker in the portal, they are very thin at that position this spring.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II (23) runs the ball after an interception in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Senior Eric Gentry is the leader in the room. The Philadelphia native was having the best season of his career before he was forced to redshirt after suffering a series of concussions in the first month of the season. He did return for the Las Vegas Bowl because bowl games no longer count towards the four-game limit for redshirting.

Despite playing in only five games, Gentry ranked first on the team in tackles for loss and was tied for second in sacks and forced fumbles. Ryan raved about Gentry during his press conference on National Signing Day in February, pointing to his unique 6-foot-6 frame.

The Trojans coach is no stranger to players with that build saying, “I do great with those guys with the long arms, [Mike] Vrabel, [Willie] McGinest,” two players he coached for the New England Patriots in the early 2000s. Gentry added 10 pounds of muscle this offseason and is up 225 pounds.

"It's one of the more thin groups right now on the team," said USC coach Lincoln Riley. "It's also a room that we're really excited about, the talent. We're really excited about who's coaching them. So obviously, Eric [Gentry] being back and healthy and moving around, doing great right now is a great thing. Obviously, he's an impactful player for us, and he's got a lot that he can get better at. Rob will be really good for Eric.

#USC running a "pinch" blitz concept.

Having Eric Gentry back in D’Anton Lynn’s defensive scheme next season will be massive for the Trojans. pic.twitter.com/3l6iysUG4l
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) January 29, 2025

Desman Stephens II, a former four-star recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle appeared in all 13 games in his true freshman campaign. Macarenas-Arnold and Cobb played a majority of the snaps at linebacker after the Trojans lost Gentry in week 5, but Stephens earned more and more of the coaching staff’s trust through his work ethic as the season progressed.

Stephens is the clear favorite to start alongside Gentry in the fall and will have the next few weeks to prove it.

"We were excited obviously with how Desman Stephens played last year as a true freshman," Riley said. "Not even just the games, how he handled the practice and just the whole thing certainly leads us to believe that he's ready for a bigger role."

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Jadyn Walker, a three-star recruit in the 2024 cycle battled through a shoulder injury and appeared in just one game. He is healthy and ready to go this spring, and his development will be essential for the depth of the linebacker room.

"Jadyn Walker came on after a shoulder surgery coming in and really wasn't able to do much early in the year," Riley said. "[He] was able to contribute some for us there at the end, and we were pretty excited about what we saw with him. So this will be a big spring for Jadyn."

Anthony Beavers previously played a hybrid safety/linebacker role for the Trojans, but now the fifth-year senior is up to 225 pounds and is playing just linebacker full-time.

"Obviously, moving Beavers down was a great thing we've been close to doing at other times here," Riley said. "At other times, we didn't feel like we had the depth at safety to be able to make that move, but he's one of the best tacklers on the team, one of our strongest leaders, a really consistent player, so that's going to be a great move for him."

Redshirt senior Ryan Quitanar, and redshirt juniors Roman Marchetti and Garrison Madden round out the room.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) runs the ball against Southern California Trojans safety Anthony Beavers Jr. (15) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The benefit of having a thin linebacker room is Ryan being able to focus on each more player individually, especially the young players like Stephens and Walker. Ryan will be able to pump a ton of reps into every guy in the room, which could pay dividends for their development as a group.

Depth at the linebacker position is going to be a concern for the Trojans heading into the 2025 season. They will add four-stars Matai Tagoa’i and AJ Tuitele from their 2025 class in the summer. However, it is still a position they would like to address in the spring transfer portal window.

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