The college recruitment of Columbine offensive lineman Andrew Gentry included more than 30 scholarship offers from blue-blood football programs such as Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame.
Gentry finally narrowed the list down to one school Saturday night.
As for those so-called traditional powerhouses? Add them to an extensive list of Gentry pancake blocks this season.
“I’m thrilled to announce my commitment to Virginia,” Gentry wrote on Twitter (@a_gentry75).
COMMITTED!!
— Andrew Gentry (@a_gentry75)
The 6-foot-8, 310-pound mauler is set to join a program that went without a bowl appearance from 2012 to 2016. But under direction of head coach Bronco Mendenhall, the Cavaliers have now reached postseason play in three straight years, capped with a berth in the 2019 Orange Bowl against Florida.
“Bronco Mendenhall has a plan,” Gentry told The Denver Post. “He had to take a program in that was not very good and the progression they’ve had over the last couple of years has been incredible. … I’d love to be a part of a team where I can stand out a little bit and help that process, rather than at a Michigan or an Alabama, where you’re just another one of those four- or five-star players they get all the time.
“I felt like Virginia was a place I could go in and be a part of something special.”
The Mendenhall connection proved essential. Gentry is a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will complete a two-year mission prior to playing college football. Mendehall, once a coach at BYU, understands Gentry’s drive to serve his faith before suiting up on game days.
“Itap very similar to BYU in regards to working with missionaries, and at Virginia, I can still play Power Five football,” Gentry said. “They’re definitely physical up front. I felt like that was a good place where I could continue my style of play that I really like.”
Gentry can make his commitment official Wednesday when the early December signing period opens.
