MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Khurtiss Perry is defensive lineman in the 2022 class with over two dozen offers. The junior out of Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing started picking up offers from his freshman year, so he has already taken a lot of visits, built some strong relationships and he has a good feel for the recruiting process.
He had planned to take more visits this spring and summer, but the coronavirus threw a wrench on those plans. Like all other top recruits, Perry has had to adapt to the new ways of communicating with coaches, doing a lot of virtual visits and exploring his options without the face-to-face contact.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I am talking to a lot of different schools right now. I would say Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Penn State, USC, UCLA and other schools are in contact with me as much as they can be," said Perry.
"It is very different now than what it has been in the past for me. I have been going on visits since my freshman year, so now, everything is virtual, so it is very different talking with the different schools. The visits are through a screen, the communication is different, and it is all still good, but just different.
"I am still just enjoying the recruiting process right. I do not really have favorites right now. I have taken visits to schools like LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, so I have seen a lot, but there is still a lot I want to see. When we can visit schools again, I want to visit Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and some others. I am still evaluating schools.
"I am looking for a winning program that runs a defense that I will fit in at. I want to go somewhere that will use me right, will put me into a defensive scheme were I can be successful and things like that. I want to play for a coach with a winning mentality, I want to play with players who want to win and those things are important to me.
"I am taking everything slow right now. I could get a list down to around 10 schools later this year, but I am still really open. My mind is everywhere right now taking everything in."
RIVALS REACTION: When there is a top player in Alabama, you always have to start with the in-state schools. Alabama and Auburn are both expected to be high on Perry's list and make it difficult for him to leave the state. But, the school with the most buzz right now is Ohio State. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has really connected with Perry and the Buckeyes are a legit threat to the Crimson Tide and Tigers. Others like Georgia, LSU and Tennessee are schools we have heard Perry is taking a hard look at as well. It is still early, and again, Alabama and Auburn will make it tough for Perry to get out of Alabama, but the school trending the most right now seems to be Ohio State.