BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, kicked off
LSU’s national championship team after repeated off-the-field
problems, signed Wednesday with Jacksonville State.
Perrilloux will be able to transfer and start immediately for
the Gamecocks. The MVP of last season’s Southeastern Conference
title game won’t have to sit out a year because Jacksonville State
plays in the lower Football Championship Subdivision.
Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe said he needed an
experienced quarterback after dismissing last year’s starter for
disciplinary reasons. The 21-year-old Perrilloux was a sophomore
last season.
“We had to have a quarterback,” Crowe said.
Perrilloux was once among the nation’s top prospects because of
his strong arm and mobility. He was suspended three times over the
past year and let go early this month, even though he was expected
to start this fall.
Perrilloux played sparingly last season, then starred when Matt
Flynn was injured and couldn’t start the SEC championship game
against Tennessee. Perrilloux was back on the bench for the BCS
title game, and Flynn threw four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win
over Ohio State.
Crowe said he talked with “many different sources,” including
LSU coach Les Miles, about Perrilloux. Crowe said he thought
Perrilloux would do well at Jacksonville State, located in a small
east Alabama town, instead of Baton Rouge.
“Everybody thought that the environment for him was not
helpful,” Crowe said.
Crowe said Perrilloux spoke frankly about his troubles at LSU,
took responsibility for his actions and is ready to start school in
a couple of weeks. Crowe said he doesn’t consider Perrilloux a
troubled catch, just one who didn’t do well as a backup at LSU.
“I think he’s been an immature player, and I think he’s been a
very, very, very frustrated player,” Crowe said. “I think he’d
tell you he didn’t handle waiting very well.”
The Gamecocks’ starter from last season, Cedric Johnson, was
kicked off the team after the season for violating team rules. Two
other quarterbacks left the team and another graduated. That left
only two signees to fill the slot.
“For me to remove the best offensive player we had and maybe
the best in the league for disciplinary reasons and then compromise
on this one ... would be crazy,” Crowe said.
Perrilloux’s decision to sign with JSU was first reported by The
Birmingham News. Perrilloux also considered Alabama A&M in
Huntsville.
Perrilloux was caught trying to enter a Baton Rouge casino with
false identification last summer. He was involved in a nightclub
fight in November, causing him to miss a game at Alabama, although
he was later cleared of wrongdoing.
Miles again suspended Perrilloux in February after he missed a
team meeting, skipped some classes and was late for conditioning
workouts. He was reinstated April 6, then let go. Miles said no
specific violation led to the quarterback’s dismissal.
“He’s got a national championship ring and a love for LSU. He’s
not a tainted person with a tainted feeling. He just made mistakes,
admitted them and moved on,” Crowe said.