USC announces addition of LB transfer Eric Gentry from Arizona State

Two Pac-12 South foes are having very different transfer portal experiences at the moment, as Arizona State is seeing a continued exodus of talent while USC is eager to usher in another wave of transfer additions in the days, weeks and perhaps months ahead.

Those two streams of player movement converged Friday as USC announced the addition of ASU linebacker transfer Eric Gentry.

Gentry had visited USC last weekend for the Trojans spring game.

Gentry was rated as a three-star ATH in the Class of 2021 out of Philadelphia, Pa., and played in 10 games as a true freshman for the Sun Devils, totaling 45 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He was named to The Athletic's Freshman All-American team.

Per PFF, the versatile 6-foot-6 linebacker lined up in the box for 213 snaps, along the defensive line for 72 and in the slot for 48.

He'll work at inside linebacker for the Trojans -- a thin position group overall in terms of both experience and numbers. It will be interesting to see if he pushes senior Ralen Goforth in fall camp for the other starting spot next to entrenched team leader Shane Lee.

Gentry is the 15th overall transfer addition for the Trojans since Lincoln Riley took over, and the second since the end of spring practice, following Ohio State safety Bryson Shaw.

Riley has said the Trojans will likely take double-digit transfer additions again after spring as they continue to rebuild their roster.

It figures to be a busy week in the transfer portal as players have until May 1 to inform their current schools of their transfer intentions and enter the portal, in order to qualify for the free one-year transfer waiver and have immediate eligibility for the 2022 season.