Much as he does on the football field, when Carson Gentle sees an opening he doesn’t waste time taking advantage.
McCallie’s two-time all-state defensive lineman — singled out by Blue Tornado coaches for his intensity and leadership traits — became the University of Tennessee’s first official signee of the 2024 recruiting class Wednesday morning.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gentle, who had been committed to UT longer than any of their signees for this class — he verbally committed in July of 2022, prior to his junior season — signed scholarship papers at 7:01 a.m.
“I have been waiting my whole life to do this, so I did not want to waste another minute,” Gentle said.
Blue Tornado teammate Jeremy St. Hilaire, a two-year starter at quarterback who threw for more than 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns this past season, also made his commitment to a Southeastern Conference program official by signing Wednesday morning with Vanderbilt.
Gentle and St. Hilaire helped McCallie claim this past season’s Division II-AAA state championship with a thrilling 34-28 win over rival Baylor. In that game, Gentle had a diving, 7-yard touchdown reception from St. Hilaire and also finished with a tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries. St. Hilaire was named the game’s MVP after he completed 22 of 28 passes for 309 yards and four TDs.
The championship was the Blue Tornado’s third in Gentle’s four seasons as a starter — the team lost by one point in the semifinals in 2022. He finished his senior year with 73 tackles, including 12 for loss and 2.5 sacks to earn a place as one of three finalists for the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football awards. He was also a semifinalist for the award as a junior.
Gentle joins Bradley Central defensive backs Boo Carter and Marcus Goree Jr. as Chattanooga-area players who signed with Tennessee for the 2024 class. Carter and Goree were both early enrollees who joined the Vols roster last weekend in preparation for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Gentle will not join the Tennessee roster until after graduating from McCallie in May.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.