Former Cary High School lineman is grad-transferring to the University of Illinois
A former Cary High School defensive lineman is making the jump from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to the Big 10 this fall.
Roderick Perry, who had 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks with South Carolina State last season, will spend his final year of eligibility as a grad transfer at Illinois, he told the N&O Tuesday morning.
“At the end of the day, you know, the most love I felt came from University of Illinois, as far as what they did for me and, you know, what they showed me as far as how much they need me and how much they want me,” Perry said.
One thing Perry said that meant a lot to him was coach Lovie Smith calling him from his personal cell phone. Smith was hired in 2016 after spending 19 years coaching in the NFL. Last season, he led the Fighting Illini to a 24-23 upset of No. 6 Wisconsin on Homecoming. The Illini finished last season 6-7, losing to California 35-20 in the Redbox Bowl.
“I fell in love with Illinois because I fell in love with the head coach, Lovie [Smith],” Perry said.
In his initial recruitment out of high school, South Carolina State was the only school to offer Perry. He didn’t even have a profile on Rivals, one of the biggest college football and basketball recruiting websites in the country. When Perry made his decision this time around, his final three included Florida and Virginia, which were ranked 7th and 25th in the final Coaches Poll last season, respectively.
The decision wasn’t an easy one, especially when factoring in the uncertainty surrounding college football due to the coronavirus pandemic. Perry said transferring hadn’t even crossed his mind until coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said it would be in Perry’s best interest. The MEAC announced it was suspending all fall sports on July 16.
“Even though they say they suspended the season, I was still hopeful that maybe it would be back up and running, but my coach called me,” Perry said. “He gave me the nitty gritty.”
The Big 10 announced July 9 that it would be moving to a conference-only schedule for fall sports “if the conference is able to participate in fall sports.” While the possibility of cancellations still looms, Perry said he felt that if anybody would be able to play football, it would be the Power 5 schools.
Perry was named to the College Sports Journal FCS Preseason All-American team, and is considered a potential 2021 NFL Draft pick. With events like the Reese’s Senior Bowl and NFL Combine in the spring, Perry said playing in the spring — which some conferences, including the MEAC, might be considering — “wouldn’t make sense” for him.
As a senior at Cary in 2016, Perry played in the N.C. Coaches Association East-West game.
“Rod is a tremendous leader and hard worker,” Jason Wilkes, Cary High School coach, said. “He is a young man of great character and continues to reach great heights both on and off the field. Illinois is going be getting a heck of player that will instantly have a positive impact their football program.”
Grad transfers are allowed to start playing immediately at their new schools, which is exactly what Perry looks forward to doing at Illinois.
“I’m just ready to play,” he said. “I’m ready to, you know, meet the guys. Some of them have texted me and everything and said, ‘We’re ready for you to come here.’ So [I’m] just ready to get the ball rolling.”