Dallas Gant

Dallas Gant (born May 16, 2000) is an American football linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings 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.

Early life
Gant 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. Gant committed to play college football at the University of Ohio State over other schools such as Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

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. 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. 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 watch list, the Butkus Award watch list, and the Lombardi Award watch list.

Professional career
Gant was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL draft. He was also selected by the DC Defenders in the seventh round of the 2024 UFL draft on July 17.