Eric Gentry: The Heart of Philly, The Soul of Troy
Jai Ahuja, USC Football Communications Student Assistant
10/11/2025
Philadelphia is home to some of the most legendary athletes in sports history. Allen Iverson, LaSean McCoy and Andre Iguodala to name a few. The city has seen an abundance of Hall of Famers, All-Stars and championship winners. Born and raised in Philly, USC redshirt senior linebacker Eric Gentry represents his city on a national stage.
“It’s kind of surreal to be a representative of my city,” he exclaimed. “Since moving out to the West Coast, you don’t really meet people from Philly, so it’s cool to show people what my city is about.”
Ask any player in the USC locker room about who the leaders of this team are. The first name many of them will say is Gentry’s.
“The leader that I look up to is Eric Gentry,” said freshman defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart. “You need to have that one player who just stands out. And he stands out to me because he always comes from the heart.”
Of the many qualities of a leader, the one that Gentry prides himself in the most is his policy of open communication and candidness in helping his teammates succeed. He attributes the trait to the authenticity of the people who call the East Coast home, and the respect they have for the truth.
“The best gift or advice you could give anyone is telling them the truth,” Gentry noted. “On our team, everybody looks at me when something needs to be said because they know I’m going say it, no matter what. I’m always going to tell the truth.”
Standing at 6-foot-6 with an 85-inch wingspan, Gentry doesn’t fit the mold for a typical linebacker. In fact, before chasing quarterbacks, he was chasing rebounds, playing for his high school’s basketball team.
Basketball was his first love, and he thought that he was going to play in the NBA. But a conversation with his high school coach during his sophomore year changed his outlook completely. His coach helped Gentry realize that he had the opportunity to be a one-of-a-kind football player, and not just another tall power forward.
“He said, ‘I know you want to be like Kobe (Bryant) or Michael Jordan, but you could be a 6-foot-6 football player that nobody has ever seen before.’ After he told me that, I fully focused on football, and the following year, I received over 20 offers.”
Through five games, Gentry leads the Trojans with 35 tackles, including 7 for loss of 26 yards (with 3 sacks for minus 15 yards) and 3 forced fumbles. He also ranks third in the nation for solo tackles (6.0).
Football may be what put Gentry on the map, but his family is what keeps him grounded. The middle child of 10 siblings, Gentry grew up understanding both the role of the protector of his younger siblings, and the role of a listener as he learned from his older ones. His family ran on teamwork, tenacity and love, all traits he carries with him to this day as a teammate.
“Family is such a lost art in today’s society,” he said. “My brothers always remind us how important it is to value family and spend quality time with each other.”
His father, Eric, a top-level mechanic, would take Gentry to work with him, an experience that taught him dedication. His mother, Quon, now working as a registered nurse, was also a star athlete at Rutgers where she played basketball. Guided by his parents’ example, he cultivated the traits that would come to serve him well as a leader of the Trojan football program.
“My mom is a role model for me athletically,” he said. “My dad has always been a role model for me as a person. He always told me ‘You're going be great at football, but remember to be yourself, lean on your faith and focus on school.’”
Gentry’s Muslim faith is a fundamental part of his identity; he draws on the faith’s principles as a leader and teammate.
“Being Muslim is about being open minded and respecting others. I try to display those characteristics daily.”
As he grew up, Gentry learned to embrace his faith and to stay true to his morals.
“Being Muslim is an inspiration for me,” he said. “When I was a kid, I felt I couldn’t talk about being Muslim for fear of looking bad. But I’ve learned to be courageous about what I believe and who I am.”
Gentry knows that his athletic abilities are a gift from God, and he aspires to make the most of that special gift.
“I have a deep belief that God provided me a gift for football,” he said. “Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder) said, ‘It would be a failure to not reach your full potential by not using the talent that God gave you.’ I think about that every day, in both football and in life. It’s easy to have talent, but when you combine talent and hard work, that takes it to another level.”
Wherever Gentry goes, he sets the tone and leads by example with integrity and honesty, all built on the foundation of his faith. Although he’s now repping the Cardinal and Gold in the City of Angels, his blood runs deep with the soul of the City of Brotherly Love.
