College Sports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan Perrilloux was nowhere to be found at LP Field Tuesday, but his influence on his new surroundings was unmistakable.

Back at Jacksonville State in the protective bubble he's been placed in since transferring from LSU, the junior quarterback did not participate in the Ohio Valley Conference's annual Media Day at the Tennessee Titans' stadium.

But that doesn't mean out of sight is out of mind.

Although he hasn't seen the quarterback take one snap with his team, JSU coach Jack Crowe said he feels Perrilloux "has a chance to be a difference maker." Apparently, so do most of his peers, as the league's coaches and publicists installed an otherwise pedestrian JSU team as the preseason favorite.

"I think it played a significant role," Tennessee-Martin coach Jason Simpson said. "The two easterns (Kentucky and Illinois) and Jacksonville are always in your top three, based on tradition and just program stability, then adding an impact player like that, I'm sure put them over the top ... It was kind of a no-brainer to me."

Even Crowe had to concede "an awful lot" when asked how much he thought Perrilloux' arrival affected the voting.

He projected that without Perrilloux, who signed with JSU in May, the Gamecocks would have been a "middle of the pack" team in Tuesday's poll. As it is, two major preseason magazines ranked them third and fourth in the league, although one touted Perrilloux its National Newcomer of the Year.

But among the OVC insiders, the Gamecocks received 113 points, two ahead of second-place Eastern Kentucky and five ahead of third-place Eastern Illinois. The three teams evenly split 18 first-place votes, projecting this to be one of the closest conference races in years.

"When you look at the statistical leaders that are coming back on our football team, both offensive and defensive, there's no statistical reason (to be picked first)," Crowe said. "And when you look at the all-star (team), we don't have players who are all-star players.

"I think there is some respect for our tradition and we usually play pretty good, but I think there's a lot of that (projection) built into expectations of (Perrilloux) as a talent and what he can bring to our football team."

At least one prominent recruiting guru told The Star earlier this year Perrilloux will be the best player on the field against any team JSU plays on its level. The other coaches in the OVC understand what they're up against.

He was the National Offensive Player of the Year coming out of high school. He played 12 games (two starts) at LSU last year, and likely would have been the starting quarterback for the defending national champions had his relationship there not deteriorated to the point of him being dismissed.

He was the MVP of the SEC Championship game after completing 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown.

"That's a pretty good spoke you're putting in a pretty good wheel," Murray State coach Matt Griffin said. "He'll make a lot of coaches tight, no doubt about that."

JSU senior safety Kenny Walker was in the hallway of the football building the day Perrilloux arrived and peeked in the corner office as the coaches watched the quarterback's highlight film, many seeing him in action for the first time.

Walker was impressed then, and became even moreso once the receivers and defensive backs got together for unofficial out-of-season passing drills.

"He showed me he's a real athlete," Walker said. "He shows me he's not some big-time guy coming from LSU; he comes out to compete every day. The thing about him is, in the past, some quarterbacks might let the script roll, but if he has a bad pass or a miscommunication, he'll repeat the play. He's a finisher.

"He can be a game-changer, something our program really needs. I feel like he's a quarterback you can take into the fourth quarter and put it on his shoulder if the defense is not on the field. I played against Jamarcus Russell through high school and he's a similar player. Since I've been in the OVC, there's not been a player as athletic and as complete as he is."

The Gamecocks have been protective of their highest-profile Division I transfer since his arrival, making sure he stays on track toward what Crowe called "the accountability he needs and our football program needs." At least twice since the transfer became official, SEC media types visiting the area for other events sought interviews with the quarterback and were denied. Perrilloux will be made available to the local media at the team's Media Day July 31.

No one had to see Perrilloux on Tuesday to make him part of the conversation. Even though the first question to Crowe after the moderator's program was about — of all things — the Gamecocks' running game, about half the questions posed to him during the event pertained to the quarterback.

"None of them were leading," Crowe said. "The good thing about them is they weren't going backwards; they were about going forward — him at Jacksonville State, next season.

"What really bothers me is when the questions get (looking) backwards. And I don't consider the questions about evaluating him (that way), because it still doesn't reflect back on anything negative. At least it doesn't me."