Dallas Gant (born May 16, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Toledo Rockets. He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL draft.
 Gant with the Rockets in 2023 | |
| No. 52 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 16, 2000 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. John's Jesuit (Toledo, Ohio) |
| College: | Ohio State (2018–2021) Toledo (2022–2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editGant attended St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio. As a senior, he hauled in 27 passes for 456 yards and a touchdown on offense, along with 96 tackles, seven tackles fr loss, and one interception on defense.[1] Gant committed to play college football at the University of Ohio State over other schools such as Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Penn State.[2][3]
College career
editOhio State
editAs a freshman in 2018, Gant recorded six tackles in three games.[4] In week two of the 2019 season, he forced a fumble in a 42–0 win over Cincinnati.[5][6] Gant finished the 2019 season with 21 tackles with three being for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.[7] In week one of the 2020 season, he forced a fumble on quarterback Luke McCaffrey, as he helped Ohio State beat Nebraska.[8][9] Gant finished the 2020 season with 17 tackles with 0.5 tackle going for a loss, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.[10] However, Gant entered the transfer portal just over three weeks into the 2021 season.[11][12]
Toledo
editGant decided to transfer to Toledo to continue his college career.[13] In his Toledo debut, he notched 11 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble, as he helped the Rockets beat LIU 37–0.[14] Gant finished his breakout 2022 season with 116 tackles with 5.5 being for a loss, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.[15] For his performance, he was named first-team all-MAC.[16] Gant was named to multiple award watch lists ahead of the 2023 season, such as the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, the Butkus Award watch list, and the Lombardi Award watch list.[17][18]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
228 lb (103 kg) |
33+3⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
4.69 s | 1.63 s | 2.69 s | 4.50 s | 7.43 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
17 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[19] | ||||||||||||
Gant was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL draft.[20] He was also selected by the DC Defenders in the seventh round of the 2024 UFL draft on July 17.[21] He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[22][23] He was released on October 29.
References
edit- ^ "Dallas Gant". Toledo Rockets University Athletics. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Conway, Tyler. "4-Star OLB Prospect Dallas Gant Commits to Ohio State". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Wasserman, Ari. "Dallas Gant, a four-star LB from Toledo, announces commitment to Ohio State". Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dallas Gant 2018 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Kyle. "Ohio State makes quick work of Cincinnati in 42-0 victory". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Hope, Dan. "OHIO STATE DOMINATES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL TO BLOW OUT CINCINNATI, 42-0, IN LUKE FICKELL'S RETURN TO COLUMBUS". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dallas Gant 2019 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Barmore, Abby. "Three takeaways from Nebraska's blowout loss against the Buckeyes". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Kyle. "Ohio State finally begins long-awaited season with victory over Nebraska". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dallas Gant 2020 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam. "Ohio State Buckeyes reserve LB Dallas Gant enters transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Lind, Andrew. "Ohio State's Dallas Gant Enters Name Into Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Kyle. "Former Ohio State linebacker Dallas Gant transferring to Toledo". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Rowland, Kyle. "Toledo defense comes up big in 37-0 win over Long Island". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dallas Gant 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "10 Rockets, 4 Falcons named to All-MAC football teams". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Buffalo's Dolac, Toledo's Gant Named to Butkus Award Watch List". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Toledo's Gant Named to Lombardi Award Watch List". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dallas Gant College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "Vikings Agree to Terms with 17 Undrafted Free Agents". Vikings.com. April 27, 2024.
- ^ "2024 UFL College Draft: Showboats select Kansas QB Jason Bean with No. 1 pick". FoxSports.com. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ Peters, Craig (August 27, 2024). "Vikings Utilize Reserve Lists During Roster Cuts: T.J. Hockenson on Reserve/PUP". Vikings.com.
- ^ Peters, Craig (August 28, 2024). "Vikings Sign 17 Players to 2024 Practice Squad". Vikings.com.