BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — 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.
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