USC Football LB Eric Gentry gets real about his weight

Eric Gentry has had an impressive season for USC football this year. As just a sophomore, he's picked up 38 tackles through these first five games (2.5 for loss), to go along with a sack, an interception, and two PD's (one was deflected into a game-winning INT).

Last year, Gentry was a Freshman All-American. This year he's on pace for 46 more tackles (1 more for loss), 1 more sack, 2 more interceptions, and 2-3 more PD's. It goes to show just how strong Gentry has been, and how far he's come, despite him already having been a good player. The best part is that he still has so much room for improvement.

That's really due to his frame. He's 6-6, with a 7-1 wingspan. It has been absolutely brutal for opposing quarterbacks to try to see through and throw over him this season. It's been particularly evident all year. He does, however, lack bulk in that he only weighs 200 pounds.

Again, he's a very good player even at this weight, but even he admitted after Saturday's Week 5 win that he'll need to pack on weight to that frame if he wants to elevate to elite status:

And Eric Gentry most certainly has the chance to gain significant weight with USC Football.

USC Football Mike Linebacker Eric Gentry is in just his second year of college football. He still has the rest of this year and next year to gain weight before he's eligible for the NFL Draft. The worst case scenario then is that Gentry just hasn't put on enough weight to where he'll be drafted high despite his standout performance, and simply stays one more year.

That then gives him two and a half more offseasons to gain weight by the time he will have had to finish gaining significant weight by. Gentry has already outperformed expectation from high school to college, being a three-star recruit out of Philly who was ranked as just the No. 776 player in the country (recruiting rating and ranking in article are as of 247Sports).

He clearly has strong drive, and knows how to elevate his game. Admitting that the way to elevate his game to the next level is to gain weight, he clearly knows what he needs to do to make that next jump. Considering he's already made multiple jumps up to this point, he has more than enough of what it takes to get up to that final level.