West Virginia needed to add both experience and production in the backend of the defense and the Mountaineers have accomplished both with the commitment of Jacksonville State safety transfer Fred Perry.
Perry, 5-foot-11, 200-pounds, spent three seasons with the Gamecocks where he was highly productive over the course of his 36 games on the field. During that span, Perry recorded a total of 257 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions.
As a freshman, Perry earned all-American honors after he recorded 72 total tackles and an interception, while this past season Perry had 110 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. As a junior in 2023, he recorded 75 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and an interception as a consistent presence for the Gamecocks.
The Georgia native entered the transfer portal Dec. 21 and was immediately linked to West Virginia given the familiarity and success that he experienced playing under head coach Rich Rodriguez. But he wouldn’t take an official visit to campus until Jan. 6 which proved as the difference maker.
Perry has played almost 2,000 snaps in his three years at the college level and is being targeted as a safety by the West Virginia coaching staff. He has one year of eligibility remaining in his career.
Perry was considered one of the top defensive backs remaining in the transfer market.
He becomes the second defensive back transfer for West Virginia this off-season joining South Alabama cornerback Jordan Scruggs and the fourth player to follow Rodriguez from Jacksonville State. The rest of that group includes wide receiver Cam Vaughn, wide receiver Jarod Bowie and tight end Jacob Barrick.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Perry and what it means for the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Perry has played a total of 1,941 defensive snaps over his three year career and has the production to match. He has maximized his time on the field and been a consistent presence in the Jacksonville State defense.
This past season Perry played 772 snaps, a career high, and graded out at 64.5 overall according to Pro Football Focus. He was especially effective in run defense at 86.3 and in pass rush situations. While his career coverage totals had all been over 70 in his first two seasons, Perry was at 51.9 in 2024.
Over the course of his career, Perry allowed 66 receptions on 92 targets for 892 yards and 7 touchdowns but did have 5 pass breakups and a pair of interceptions.
Perry played a total of 777 of his career snaps in the box, and 682 at free safety. But he also was used as a slot cornerback across 400 snaps and even at true corner with 22.
Perry is an effective run stopping safety that has both the experience and versatility to move around.
Fitting the program:
Perry has already performed well under Rodriguez and West Virginia needed more experience and versatility in the secondary so it’s not hard to see how this was a good match. Perry has the type of skills that should translate well given his body of work over his career and makes him a good fit in the backend of the defense.
The Mountaineers only have 10 scholarship safeties on the roster and all, but Keke Tarnue have limited experience on the field opening the pathway for Perry to take advantage of that in his final season. He already has an understanding of the coaching staff and the expectations so it should be an easy transition for him.
Perry will have the opportunity to prove himself at the power four level in his final year and given the fact he has already been to Morgantown for a visit there isn’t going to be any sense of unfamiliarity.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia still needs to address the defensive back spots and there are a number of transfer targets that have either set a visit or are planning to in the coming days and weeks. The Mountaineers are still involved with Georgia Southern defensive back Marc Stampley and BYU safety Crew Wakley just to name a few of those potential options. There will be more to come.
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