It was recently announced that USC football will conclude its 2024 season with a matchup against Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Trojans have not had Eric Gentry on the field for the past two months. Is that actually going to change for the bowl game?
While an exciting matchup on paper, the status of the Trojans’ roster for the game against Texas A&M is very much up in the air. With a dozen players already in the transfer portal and questions regarding which NFL-bound guys will suit up for one final game, USC’s roster is likely to be a shell of itself when the Trojans take the field in Las Vegas on December 27.
However, it appears the Trojans may be getting one piece of good news with regard to their bowl game roster in the potential return of Eric Gentry.
Gentry was one of USC’s top defensive players through the first four games of the year. After dealing with concussions, however, Gentry announced his plan to redshirt the season and come back next year.
At the time of the announcement, it was presumed that Gentry was done for 2024. Last week, however, he fired off a series of tweets suggesting that he could return for the Vegas Bowl, including one that simply read, “Bowl Gameeeeeee”.
Gentry has already appeared in four games, the maximum number that would allow him to preserve his redshirt. However, the NCAA changed its policy within the last two years so that bowl games do not count toward this requirement, meaning that Gentry could play in the game and still be eligible to return next year.
USC and Texas A&M will square off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Friday, December 27 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time.