Andrew Gentry returns to BYU for a second season after transfer from Michigan, embraces a “surreal” homecoming

BYU’s big-bodied offensive lineman Andrew Gentry is looking at his second season in Provo with a mix of comfort and nerves. In an interview published on Aug. 8, Gentry described the experience of being back in Utah County as “surreal,” a feeling rooted in the personal path that brought him to BYU after time at Michigan.

Gentry is listed at 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds, and the physical mismatch he provides is the kind of front-line profile coaches build around on the line. But in this phase of his career, he also framed the football shift as something more than a roster change, tying his current outlook to where he grew up and what he did before college.

The Arizona-born-to-Colorado background in the reporting is personal, but the storyline is clear: Gentry grew up in Colorado and previously served a mission in Utah County. After that chapter, he moved on to Ann Arbor, playing at Michigan before transferring to BYU. Now, after getting the first season of acclimation behind him, he is focusing on how to turn “being back” into a steadier routine.

What stands out in Gentry’s comments is the way he characterizes Provo and BYU football as something he already knows on a deeper level than a typical campus arrival. He said he likes the situation in Provo, but he is also openly anxious about what comes next, a reminder that transfers, even ones that feel like home, still require adjustment to new teammates, new coaching, and a new offensive system.

At the same time, BYU’s interest in adding a player with Gentry’s size is part of a broader program-building logic: offensive line continuity matters, and a second season is often when a lineman’s technique, communication, and conditioning begin to look more “automatic.” Gentry’s own framing suggests he is trying to convert the novelty of his move into performance reliability.

Gentry’s journey is also a recruiting and development reference point for BYU. A player with mission-era ties to Utah County brings a built-in familiarity with the school’s culture, which can ease off-field transitions. Still, the practical standard remains football preparation, consistency in the trenches, and taking on whatever role the coaching staff asks of him.

Because the reporting centers on Gentry’s perspective rather than transactions or statistical specifics, details such as his position assignment at BYU, expected role on the depth chart, and any snap counts from his first year are not confirmed here. The immediate thing to watch is how he approaches training camp expectations as he turns his first-season transition into a second-season identity.

For BYU fans, this is a familiar kind of offseason storyline, but with a personal accent: a home-state lineman returning after time away, now trying to translate comfort and faith-based familiarity into a more composed football season. If Gentry’s second-year focus matches the steadiness he is searching for, BYU’s offensive line plans could benefit from a player who already understands what Provo means beyond game day.