'I'm better than these guys:' When Tennessee football commit Carson Gentle knew he was a top prospect

McCallie linebackers coach Chris Richardson organized his defensive players for their usual pre-practice sled drills before a scrimmage vs Alcoa last week.

Richardson had Carson Gentle, a three-star Tennessee football commit, in the group and recalled his star player’s first words of the day.

“He’s like, ‘It’s a great day to have a great day,' " Richardson said.

Richardson is not surprised by his upbeat attitude. He is reminded of Gentle's consistency and how it rubs off on others.

“He brings the same maturity, same focus every day,” Richardson said. “Everybody knows what standard he's going to have in practice. And it helps. It helps them have the same standard.”

Gentle is the No. 30 player in the state and the No. 90 defensive lineman in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Chattanooga native committed to Tennessee on July 23, 2022, over offers from Harvard and Ole Miss, among others.

Why Tennessee football and bonding with recruits

Becoming a Vol has always been a childhood hope, even before Gentle started playing the sport at age 5. His dad played football at Middle Tennessee State, then attended Tennessee, along with his mom.

Gentle's conversations with Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner in the recruiting process helped him decide to commit before the start of his junior season.

Gentle said he started to see his recruitment spike at the tail end of his freshman year, when he scored a safety in the 2020 state championship game his team won. It took him until the end of his sophomore season to realize he was capable of playing at the Power Five level.

Gentle studied his film after his second year and critiqued the intricacies of his game. His confidence elevated after he re-watched it a couple of months later and looked at the tape of other prospects.

“I compare my film with other players getting offers and I was like, ‘I think I'm better than these guys,’ " he said.

Gentle is proud to be one of several in-state players in the 2024 Vols recruiting class. He also highlighted how “the quality of players” is “amazing.” The Vols have commitments from four of the top 10 players in the state, according to the 247Sports Composite. This includes the No. 1 player, Kaleb Beasley of Lipscomb Academy.

Gentle said he and the other commits are close and communicate mostly via text in their “big commit group chat.”

All-around athlete

Gentle’s junior year was an impressive one. He had 46 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and one defensive touchdown.

Richardson said that Gentle, who switches between linebacker and defensive lineman, can be the top option at multiple positions on offense and defense. He had seven receptions and 119 receiving yards as a tight end last year.

Gentle also plays basketball, wrestles and does shot put and discus. The Blue Tornado coaching staff knew Gentle would make an impact when he showed a kind of explosiveness in middle school that was different from his older twin brothers, Jack and Austin Gentle, who were offensive linemen at McCallie.

The twins, now junior offensive linemen at Harvard, helped McCallie win state championships in 2019 and 2020.

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Richardson said Gentle's understanding of McCallie’s defensive scheme is exceptional, and he is able to approach a coach and suggest defensive read changes during games.

“I know what’s going on, I know where the play is going most of the time,” he said.

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email tbrown@usatoday.com. Twitter @TJ3rd_.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football recruiting: When Carson Gentle knew he was a prospect