Tommy Perry is entering his second season coaching South Alabama’s running backs and coordinating the Jaguars’ special teams units.
Five Jag running backs gained at least 100 yards in the program’s inaugural season last fall, with the group accounting for almost 80 percent of USA’s 267 yards per game on the ground. Brandon Ross led the group with 594 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Santuan McGee rushed for 350 yards and three scores to help the Jaguars average better than six yards per carry.
And his efforts helped the Jags excel on special teams play too. Scott Garber averaged 42 yards per punt with nine of 22 kicks downed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line, and Erling Riis averaged just under 13 yards per punt return. The kick return unit gained nearly 30 yards per runback, while USA allowed opponents to average only 17 yards per kickoff return. And, Jaguar kickers combined to make 5-of-6 field-goal attempts while converting 40 exatra points, with Michel Chapuseaux ending the season second on the team in scoring with 46 points.
Perry spent the three seasons prior to joining the Jag staff before the program’s first-ever spring practice as a graduate assistant and then an intern on the staff at Alabama, working under both Nick Saban and Mike Shula. The Crimson Tide went undefeated in the regular season in the fall of 2008, advancing to the Southeastern Conference championship game as well as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. After posting a 12-2 record, the team was ranked sixth in both the final Associated Press and USA Today top-25 polls.
UA finished 7-6 the previous season, defeating Colorado 30-24 in the PetroSun Independence Bowl, while the Crimson Tide participated in the same postseason contest his first year as part of the program.
Perry began his coaching career as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Texas in 2004, also serving as an academic advisor for the Longhorns. He became a linebacker and strength coach at Texas A&M-Commerce later that year, moving over to coach running backs and handle kickoff return duties in 2005 for the Lions. Three of his backs earned all-Lone Star Conference honors that year, including one who was named the Offensive Back of the Year after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 10 games.
His responsibilities at TAMUC also included assisting with the program’s recruiting in Northeast Texas and Northern California.
Perry has additional experience coaching at the professional level after working as a special teams assistant and head strength coach for NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals in 2006. That spring the team posted a 7-3 mark and competed in the World Bowl.
A 2003 graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in English and history, Perry played two seasons — lettering in 2003 — for the Aggies as a fullback, inside linebacker and defensive end while also participating on various special teams units. He was one of four players on the team who served as the program’s 12th man as a senior. He began his career as an inside linebacker at Tyler [Texas] Junior College.
Perry, who earned his master’s degree in health & human performance from Texas A&M-Commerce 2005, is married to the former Angela Painter. The couple have one daughter, Joanna Rose (1).
The Perry File
Born: Aug. 29, 1980, in Monroe, La.
Education:
Texas A&M ’03, bachelor’s degree in English and history
Texas A&M-Commerce ’05, master’s degree in health & human performance
Collegiate Playing Experience:
Two years, linebacker, Tyler [Texas] Junior College
Three years, fullback/linebacker/defensive end, Texas A&M
Coaching Experience:
Texas — assistant strength & conditioning coach, 2004
Texas A&M-Commerce — graduate assistant, 2004-05
Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe) — assistant coach/strength and conditioning coach, 2006
Alabama — graduate assistant/intern, 2006-08
South Alabama — assistant coach, 2009-
Family: Wife, Angela; One daughter, Joanna Rose (1)
