A nomad on the offensive line, Gandy has played at the guard position as well as center. He spent most of his first three seasons in three-man rotation at left and right guard. An all-district offensive tackle at Pflugerville (Texas) High School, Gandy also played on the defensive line and handled deep snapping duties during his prep days. He earned first-team All-CenTex honors as a two-way lineman and also participated in track.

Gandy redshirted as a freshman at Texas Tech and then became an important cog on the offense, as he played a variety of positions on the offensive line the next two years. He started three games, two at center and one at guard while earning Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors in 2002.

Gandy was again named to the Academic All-Big 12 squad in 2003. He started at left guard and also backed up Toby Cecil at center. With the graduation of Cecil, Gandy moved to center in 2004, where he has started every game. Gandy helped lead the Red Raider passing attack to its third-straight NCAA passing record in 2004, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition for his performance.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a developing frame with the potential to carry at least another 20 pounds of bulk … Possesses good chest thickness, long arms, large hands, a firm midsection, good bubble, thick thighs and calves … Good athlete with above-average quickness, agility and body control … Versatile blocker who can play a variety of roles on the line, but might be best suited inside, where his hand placement, quickness and kick slide could be more valuable … Shows good aggression and consistency in his play and has functional strength … Also demonstrates good feet and balance … Intelligent athlete who makes good blocking calls … Classic blue-collar type who has very good toughness, both mentally and physically … Will play through pain and shows an even-keeled temperament … Works hard to finish and plays with good enthusiasm … Shows consistency dealing with the X's and understands the technical part of the game well … Has the ability to be quick out of his stance and into the defender … Has a good initial step to gain advantage and very good hip strike and suddenness (rarely late at the X's) … Plays with a solid base with good lateral quickness in the short areas … Has the balance and feet to slide and shuffle with effectiveness … Can generate good pop in his explosion off the ball and shows the leg drive needed to work and finish … Shows good ability to wall off and screen, thanks to rolling his hips on contact … Does a good job pulling to trap block, as he knows how to stay low to get movement … Has a quick pass setup and uses his hands very well to control the action in his area … Plays with decent pop and punch and will be aggressive … Shows good body quickness to get out of the gate and be effective on the move … Is more of a contact seeker, as he will land on his target with good violence … Has very good change-of-direction agility to track and land on his target in the second level when he plays on his feet … Takes good angles in the second level and will constantly pester the linebacker until the whistle.

Negatives: Does a good job of picking up stunts, but will sometimes overextend, lunge and lose his balance … Effective at changing direction, but needs to do a better job of seeking out secondary targets on the move … Can sometimes get a little too high in his stance, which results in him getting pushed back through the holes he tries to develop for the running back … When he plays on his toes, as he tends to drop his head a bit on the move, losing sight of secondary targets in pass protection … Earlier in his career, Gandy was inconsistent with his hands … Does a good job pulling to trap block, staying low to get movement, but at times he is high and can get rocked back on his heels … Does a good job picking up stunts, but what gets him in trouble is when he lunges, which causes him to lose balance.

AGILITY

Campus: 5.3 in the 40-yard dash … 385-pound bench press … 550-pound squat … 300-pound power clean … 31-inch vertical jump … 8-foot-11 broad jump … 7.76 three-cone drill … Right-handed.
Combine: 5.12 in the 40-yard dash … 2.95 20-yard dash … 1.74 10-yard dash … 4.51 20-yard shuttle … 7.62 three-cone drill … 29½-inch vertical jump … 8-foot-4 broad jump … 33 3/8-inch arm length … 9 7/8-inch hands.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Pflugerville (Texas) High School, playing football for coach George Herrmann … First-team all-district selection as an offensive tackle, adding first-team All-CenTex honors … Two-way lineman who also served as a deep snapper … Participated in track.

PERSONAL

History major … Son of Cindy Mock and Phil Gandy … Born March 8, 1982 in Harlingen, Texas … Resides in Pflugerville, Texas.