Owls gain former UM QB Perry
The FAU Owls added another former Power Five player to their quarterback room, with former Miami Hurricanes signal-caller N’Kosi Perry announcing Wednesday afternoon that he’s transferring to Florida Atlantic.
Perry, a former four-star recruit out of Ocala’s Vanguard High, was a redshirt junior last year with UM and is expected to have two seasons of eligibility left after the NCAA granted all fall sport athletes an eligibility waiver for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He redshirted in 2017 and was sporadically Miami’s starting quarterback during the 2018 and 2019 seasons before being D’Eriq King’s backup in 2020.
The most game action he saw during the past season was in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29 after King tore his ACL in the game, with Perry going 19 of 34 for 228 yards and two touchdowns with UM’s comeback attempt falling short in the Hurricanes’ 37-34 loss to Oklahoma State.
Perry went 26 of 47 for 348 yards and three touchdowns with one interception across five games in 2020.
He originally entered the transfer portal in January but withdrew so he could complete the classes he needed to graduate with Miami during the spring semester, according to Rivals’ CaneSport.com. Perry didn’t join UM for spring practices and attended FAU’s spring scrimmage in late March.
Over 24 games, Perry had a 52.4 completion percentage (209 of 397) for 2,484 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
“I want to thank the University of Miami, [former UM coach] Mark Richt, [UM coach] Manny Diaz & the entire coaching staff for the opportunity to be a part of their program,” wrote in his announcement on Twitter. “In these last four years, I have gained a new family in my teammates and the fans. Miami has given me memories and bonds that will last a lifetime. For that, I will forever be grateful to the U!
“Having said that, I’ve decided to continue my football career at Florida Atlantic University!”
Perry is the second quarterback to transfer to FAU from a Power Five program during the offseason.
Redshirt freshman Michael Johnson Jr., a former four-star quarterback who was previously at Penn State, transferred to FAU in the winter.
Perry joins a quarterback room that includes Johnson Jr., Javion Posey, Willie Taggart Jr. and Nick Tronti, with Posey and Tronti the returning starters from last year’s team.
It was clear that the Owls needed an upgrade at the quarterback position after they ranked No. 117 in passing offense (144.4 yards per game) last season.
Perry has the most experience out of that aforementioned quintet, starting nine games with UM over three seasons with the Hurricanes compared to Tronti’s six with FAU last year and Posey’s three.
Perry should be a frontrunner for the starting role during fall camp ahead of the Owls’ 2021 season opener against Florida on Sept. 4 in Gainesville.