Unlike most USC fans who were totally rapt by the Trojans' pillaging of the transfer portal this offseason, eager to see who the next addition would be to Lincoln Riley's roster rebuild, defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu was a little more detached from the process.

So much so that the first time he saw new inside linebacker Eric Gentry, he didn't know who he was or what to make of the lanky 6-foot-6 sophomore.

Since then, well, Tuipulotu has taken quite a liking to the former Arizona State Sun Devil, who was the first defensive player he mentioned when highlighting standouts from the Trojans' weekend scrimmage.

"Eric Gentry, he's a baller. He's a guy that's been stepping up. I like EG a lot," Tuipulotu said. "When he first came in I was like, 'Who the hell is this tall dude?' I didn't know none of the transfers, I wasn't on social media like that. I just seen this tall dude, skinny dude, like 'Who is this?' He's athletic for a guy with that type of body. I like him a lot. He's a hitter too -- he'll come down on the line and hit an O-lineman and all that stuff. I like EG a lot."

That seems to be a consensus opinion around the program these days ...

"Eric's doing good. His length and playmaking ability and nose for the ball really stick out, they do," head coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this week, while noting that Gentry had an interception in the scrimmage. "He's just rare to have a guy on your defense that has that type of length but also that type of athleticism. I mean, you love it defensively. You love his instincts and he's getting more comfortable in our system, making less mistakes each day. From an offensive perspective, guys like that are a pain and he's doing a really nice job."