Tennessee football adds commitment from 2024 in-state DL Carson Gentle

By 2024, Tennessee football will have a pretty big need on the defensive line given all the players who will be gone from the current roster. Josh Heupel is beginning the early stages of addressing that and took a huge step forward with an in-state commitment this weekend.

Carson Gentle, a three-star across the board except for ESPN, where he is not rated, has joined UT’s 2024 class. Coming out of Chattanooga, Tenn., Gentle stands between 6’3″ and 6’4″ and weighs in the range of 235 to 245 pounds.

A product of Hamilton County’s McCallie School, Gentle is Tennessee football’s second pickup for 2024, following four-star edge rusher Jonathan Echols. He announced his commitment to the Vols Saturday morning on Twitter.

Given his frame, Gentle is a bit of a tweener right now. He is listed as a defensive lineman on 247Sports and On3, but Rivals has him as a weakside defensive end, meaning he’d be more of an edge rusher. Combine that with Nichols’ commitment, and Heupel has a style he’s looking for.

That’s probably because UT added Tyre West this past year on the defensive line and also has plenty of players on the roster to lock them up in the middle through 2024. On the edge, though, Byron Young, Roman Harrison and Tyler Baron will all be gone by 2024.

Of course, Gentle could play that hybrid defensive tackle role, which Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely played last year and is wide open this year. His role will depend a bit on what the Vols need by then. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Gentle is great coming off the edge, filing gaps in the middle and closing in on ball-carriers, all key components to being a defensive lineman or edge rusher at the next level. There’s no proof of him being elite in coverage, which is why linebacker is likely off the table.

Still, Tennessee football appears to have gotten a very talented player in Gentle. Keeping him in-state was a big deal, and it’s likely his stock continues to rise over the next year and a half on the recruiting trail.