Take Two: BYU or Michigan for four-star OT Andrew Gentry?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
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CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State
THE STORYLINE
The top eight offensive tackles in the 2020 class are already committed and so the focus has turned to four-star Andrew Gentry, who not only is the top-ranked prospect at that position who hasn’t pledged yet but who also has a really interesting recruitment.
The massive 6-foot-8, 305-pound standout from Littleton (Colo.) Columbine has BYU, Michigan, Stanford, Virginia and others high on the list. He’s Mormon and is planning to take a mission, although he’s not certain on the timetable of that yet.
His brother plays at BYU. But two weekends ago, Gentry was back at Michigan, a place that he’s visited before. He’s hit it off with the coaching staff and he could be intrigued by playing at such an historic program in such an historic conference.
What also makes Gentry’s recruitment so intriguing is that he’s in no rush to make a commitment. He could still take some trips before figuring things out and since he’s planning a mission, college staffs around the country have to figure out how he fits into their plans this year - and for years down the road.
Will BYU be able to land the four-star who could be a major contributor in the Cougars’ offense? Or did his recent visit to Michigan convince him the Wolverines would be the better fit?
FIRST TAKE: EJ HOLLAND, THEWOLVERINE.COM
Michigan did a tremendous job with Gentry and his family this weekend. The Wolverines really laid out a plan for his mission trip and talked to him about nutrition, strength training, etc. When talking about the trip, that's what Gentry said stood out to him the most. In fact, Gentry said Michigan was the first school to really go in-depth on a mission trip plan. BYU seems like the safe pick for obvious reasons, but Michigan offers a great education (Gentry is an A-plus student), the opportunity to play on a big stage with full support of his mission. It's hard to read Gentry, but I'm feeling more confident about UM's chances.”
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SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I have him to BYU in the FutureCast because it’s hard to overcome those family situations. It’s hard to overcome the comfort level you have with a coaching staff that has a plan for your mission and is comfortable with you taking a break in your college career to do that.
“It’s closer to home, which helps. Michigan is tempting and he’s a really good football player. Gentry is going to be 6-foot-8 and probably play at 330, 340, something like a poor man’s Mike McGlinchey who could develop into that great left tackle. Michigan provides a little more development at that position and its produced offensive linemen and the opportunity to play against much better competition. But usually family wins out in these situations, especially with kids taking missions, so it’s hard to bet against BYU.”
