The dead period is over, and Kentucky football is back to adding transfers. David Gusta, a defensive tackle from Washington State, became the first addition of the second wave of the transfer portal cycle. Gusta is ranked as the #26 overall player and #3 defensive tackle in the portal according to 247 Sports. He is the highest ranked transfer Kentucky has brought in thus far, and he has a chance of being the best player on the team next fall.
Player Background
Gusta was a three-star recruit from Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California. After recording fourteen sacks as a Junior, Gusta committed to play for Kalen DeBoer (yes, the Alabama coach) at Fresno State. That summer, Power 5 interest came in from Washington State and Arizona before the Cougars eventually flipped the productive prospect. After redshirting his first season, Gusta recorded 6 tackles and 7 pressures in 176 snaps. During his redshirt sophomore season, while WSU was still a member of the Pac-12, he recorded 17 tackles and 16 pressures in over 500 snaps without missing a tackle all season according to PFF. This past season, Gusta was ranked as the #17 overall defensive tackle and #7 pass rusher from the position after he posted 19 tackles, 29 pressures (8.1% pressure rate on pass rush snaps), a sack, and 3 deflected passes. Gusta became a star for WSU, but entered the portal after Head Coach Jake Dickert took the Wake Forest opening.
Program Fit
Kentucky lost a ton of production from the defensive line, and Gusta will play a huge role in replacing it. At 6’3 and 302 pounds, Gusta can hold linemen in their spots with his burst and strong hands. Often beating linemen to the punch, Gusta is able to rip and use his hand fighting to get to the quarterback consistently. The picture quality below is not great, but it shows one example of what makes Gusta so good. He is the first one of the ball and has made contact with the center before any of the offensive or defensive linemen has been able to move. He catches the center flat footed and bent at the waist, making him easier to move, especially with the leverage Gusta creates by staying low and using his shin angle to drive. Gusta shows prowess in the run and pass game and will be an important piece to stopping the gauntlet of offenses Kentucky will face next season.
Position Outlook
Gusta should be an immediate starter next to Josiah Hayes on the defensive line. With 86.87% of Gusta’s 2024 snaps coming at non-nose defensive tackle, he fills the hole Deone Walker and Keeshawn Silver left on the defensive line. This also allows Kendrick Gilbert, Tavion Gadson, and Jerod Smith to continue developing and learn from a future NFL player before one of them presumably takes that spot next season. In an interview with Chris Hummer at 247 Sports, Gusta said his “draft grade came back this year, they had me as a fourth-round pick. I want to be a first or second. I want to find a program that can get me there as a draft pick.” Kentucky added a pro to their defensive line, and Anwar Stewart has rebuilt this group despite the big departures early in the offseason.
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