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USC football head coach Lincoln Riley juggled recruiting and rumors on Wednesday. Riley's name was attached to the UCF opening. He blasted that report, but then took a huge recruiting loss to Tennessee on National Signing Day.
Four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte flipped to the Volunteers. Perlotte stayed committed to Riley and the Trojans since July. But bolted on the official day recruits can sign the letter of intent, with Hayes Fawcett of On3.com first reporting the move.
Georgia even received an early verbal pledge from him before he flipped to USC over the Summer. Perlotte returns to Southeastern Conference territory with his decision. Perlotte told On3.com that the Tennessee coaches stayed in contact with him and his family — persuading the last minute commitment.
“The coaches at Tennessee love me,” Perlotte told On3. “They has always shown a lot of love to me and my family. While I was committed to Georgia, they made me feel like a priority. Tennessee is a school that has always made me feel wanted.”
He added other details on why he chose Tennessee over the Trojans.
“The love from Tennessee is real. The coaches there were consistent and the atmosphere was always great. The culture stood out to me at Tennessee. It always felt like home and family,” Perlotte said.
Linebackers coach William Inge earns credit for finalizing the Perlotte flip. Tennessee's coup added to a rather rigid day for Riley.
Outside of addressing the UCF head coaching rumor, Riley sustained a massive loss on his coaching staff. USC and Riley lost defensive assistant and linebackers coach Matt Entz to Fresno State — with that hire finalized on NSD. Entz leaves Riley and his post after only one season.
Riley and USC additionally lost a prominent five-star. Wide receiver Jerome Myles officially signed to Texas A&M Wednesday after decommitting from the Trojans.
