Carson Gentle Signs With Tennessee

Early national signing day is upon us, and the Tennessee Volunteers are hoping to finish strong. They've recruited at a high rate under head coach Josh Heupel and brought in some major difference-makers in their 2023 signing class. Volunteer Country will provide readers with an in-depth breakdown of each signee.

Defensive end Carson Gentle is the first commit to turn in their national letter of intent. He is the No. 884 player in the cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Take a look at what the Vols are getting.

Prospect: Carson Gentle

Projected Position: Strongside Defensive End

Vitals: 6-3 and 245 pounds

School: McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

Frame: Likely has to add around 15-20 pounds before seeing consistent time, with is doable. Gentle is a very long player that uses his wingspan to his advantage. Extending your weight through your arms early when you engage allows you to drive through your hands and finish. Gentle does this on each according rep, getting full extention with a long wingspan and shoving the offensive linemen into the backfield.

Athleticism: The body type here is projectable. Gentle is 6-4 and 250 pounds with an elite wrestling background, an all-state track resume, and varsity basketball experience. He isn't the most explosive lateral mover, but Gentle has strong flexibility and captures the corner well on opposing offensive tackles. He's a twitchy athlete that thrives when he can get downhill and charge after the ball carrier.

Instincts: He excels at getting depth in his pass sets, giving himself a frame to work with before striking the defender with his hands. Satterwhite punches the defender's shoulder pads and then quickly slaps away their hands at the point of contact. In Tennessee's system, he only has to survive that long before the football is out of his quarterback's hands. All of these movements are reaction-based, as Satterwhite has built counters on his high school tape for when defensive lineman recognize his immediate moves.

Polish: McCallie plays in a district with Brentwood Academy, Knoxville Catholic, Lipscomb Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy, and The Baylor School. Tennessee fans should be well acquainted with these names, as they field dozens of other Volunteer targets. This is one of the most talent-rich divisions in the southeast, and Gentle is the commanding force on a team that went 12-1 while allowing just 19.2 points per game. He logged 73 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 19 hurries last year, earning all-state marks for the third consecutive season.

Bottom Line: Gentle is one of the most underrated plays in the cycle, for my money. He did so many different things for a very good football team that won multiple state championships during his time there - he's a difference-maker.