Dallas Gant (born May 16, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

and the Toledo Rockets. He was signed by the Vikings as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

after the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life

Gant attended St. John's Jesuit High School in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. 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. Gant committed to play

at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

over other schools such as

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

, Notre Dame, and

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

College career

Ohio State

As a freshman in 2018, Gant recorded six tackles in three games. In week two of the 2019 season, he forced a fumble in a 42–0 win over

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. Gant finished the 2019 season with 21 tackles with three being for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. In week one of the 2020 season, he forced a fumble on quarterback Luke McCaffrey, as he helped Ohio State beat

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. 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. However, Gant entered the transfer portal just over three weeks into the 2021 season.

Toledo

Gant decided to transfer to Toledo to continue his college career. 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. Gant finished his breakout 2022 season with 116 tackles with 5.5 being for a loss, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. For his performance, he was named first-team all-MAC. Gant was named to multiple award watch lists ahead of the 2023 season, such as the

Wuerffel Trophy The Wuerffel Trophy is an award given annually to the college football player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement." The trophy, designed by W. Stanley Proctor and named in honor of former Univers ...

watch list, the

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watch list, and the

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombard ...

watch list.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Gant was signed by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

as an

after the 2024 NFL draft. He was also selected by the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

in the seventh round of the 2024 UFL draft on July 17. He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on October 29.

Philadelphia Eagles

On November 4, 2024, Gant was signed to the

practice squad. On December 28, he was elevated to the team's active roster for their Week 17 matchup against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. He won a Super Bowl championship when the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22 in Super Bowl LIX. He signed a reserve/future contract on February 14, 2025.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioOhio State Buckeyes bioToledo Rockets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gant, Dallas 2000 births Living people Players of American football from Ohio American football linebackers Ohio State Buckeyes football players Toledo Rockets football players Minnesota Vikings players Philadelphia Eagles players