Lincoln Riley updates LB Eric Gentry's status after surgery

One of the more intriguing subplots of spring practice for USC would have been watching the retooled linebacker corps compete and jostle for position, but the Trojans will be missing a major piece of that unit as returning starter Eric Gentry is sidelined this spring recovering from offseason surgery on his injured ankle.

Coach Lincoln Riley addressed Gentry's situation on Tuesday.

"We took a look at [his ankle] after the season. He obviously finished the season with it. Never quite got back to 100%. I think certainly there was some hope with a little bit of downtime and rest and rehab, we could potentially get back to 100% going the non-surgical route. But as the offseason went on, it wasn’t making the progress we wanted it to make," Riley said. "It’s nothing serious. He’ll miss spring ball, but he’ll be back very, very quickly after. And probably would’ve missed spring ball regardless of when he had the surgery, probably would’ve been out. But he’ll be cleared for summer conditioning. Expect he’ll get a full summer in and be ready to go in the fall."

Gentry finished third on the Trojans with 71 tackles last season despite playing in only 11 of the 14 games. He had 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, an interception, 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles as a fulcrum in the middle of the defense. He injured the ankle Oct. 15 in the first meeting with Utah.

His size and wingspan at 6-foot-6 was considered a unique advantage at the middle linebacker spot as he could also disrupt the intermediate passing game, but it's also been acknowledged that he needed to continue adding weight to his frame. After being listed at 205 pounds last season, Gentry is listed at 210 on the spring roster, but Trojans director of football sports performance told TrojanSports.com last week that Gentry had already put on 10 pounds this offseason.

"This is a great chance for him mentally, having played a year, been in the system, it’s a great chance for him to take a step back and see it from a different perspective, see it from the coaches’ point of view. He’s got a great attitude about it," Riley said. "Very high energy. He’ll learn a ton, and it’ll give us some time to develop other parts of his body, continuing to put weight and add mass that we obviously know he needs. We’ll just take the time to focus in on other areas, and then have him back full go this summer."

Meanwhile, USC will get its first full look at Oklahoma State linebacker transfer Mason Cobb, who had 96 tackles and 13 tackles for loss last year for the Cowboys.

Riley spotlighted Cobb as one of the newcomers emerging as a leader through the offseason program, similar to how fellow linebacker Shane Lee did upon his arrival last year.

"We’ve got several guys that have some potential and we’ve already seen some cool moments from with the team. Mason Cobb comes to mind as a guy who’s starting to assert himself in that way, a lot like Shane certainly has with us," Riley said.

At full strength, USC has Gentry, Lee, Cobb at the top of the depth chart for the two inside linebacker spots with third-year talent Raesjon Davis and highly-regarded true freshman Tackett Curtis behind them.