The Cardinal Countdown: 10 Days Until Kickoff

#10 Benjamin Perry

Class: Freshman

Ht/Wt: 6-2/170

Position: Defensive Back

Hometown: Country Club Hills, IL

Twitter: @perry_ben10

Thoughts: I was excited about Ben Perry joining the program, honestly because I’d been hearing some buzz around his name the last year or so by folks who pay much closer attention to recruiting than I do. Each year you hear about a few guys who may be able to make an immediate impact but really, it’s all lip service until they get on campus and we see what they can really do. Eight months in and I think Ben Perry is already showing some of what he can do.

The safety out of Illinios was no diamond in the rough as the staff targeted him as a talented recruit on the rise who jumped up to a solid four star talent before he ever signed his letter of intent. While both Petrino and Satterfield emphasize speed in their approach to talent evaluation we’re seeing Satterfield try and get bigger across the board at nearly every position. The 6’2” Perry is a full 3” taller than the previous safety and some time in the weight room will likely having him close to 195-200 before the season begins. He’s got good length and can get to his spot but watching him in a few of the clips the best way to describe him is that he just plays smart football. He goes for the big hits when he can, goes for the interception when he can, but when he can’t he just makes the play needed to see another down. Having that in a true freshman is rare, and the staff has already seen enough that they penciled him in as a starter before fall camp began.

Now, whether it’s Perry or Q. Cole (Day 12) who trots out there play one is insignificant to me, because both have shown they will get opportunities this year. Having a serviceable true freshman who can see the field is always nice, having a true freshman who can be an impact player from day one is like hitting the lottery. Really looking forward to watching Perry and hopefully seeing how he helps this defense get better every week.

Sweet Tweet:

We do this dang near every year as the true freshman always want to know about chicken spots, so rattle off your top 3….and if you drop a ‘KFC’ down there your opinion is invalidated.