One of the best quarterbacks in the state of Florida is available once again.
In a late-night post on social media, St. Thomas Aquinas quarterback James Perrone, who was Florida’s leading high school passer last year, announced that he has decommitted from the University of South Florida and has fully opened up his recruitment.
“I would like to thank the South Florida coaching staff for recruiting me through the coaching change and for all the support through this process. However, I am no longer committed to USF, and my recruitment is 100% open.”
At Miami Southridge in 2025, Perrone, according to MaxPreps, threw for 3,231 yards and 33 touchdowns in 13 games played. He also added 636 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground for Southridge last season. In his career, Perrone has totaled 98 touchdowns, 9,575 passing yards, and has led his team to 33 wins at the varsity level. This has resulted in the standout quarterback winning back-to-back Miami-Dade County Player of the Year Awards.
Holding 13 offers outside of his USF offer, it would not be a shock to see Perrone’s recruitment begin to heat up in a big way. The standout quarterback unofficially visited Virginia Tech and Wake Forest this spring, and according to 24/7 Sports, has an official visit with Memphis set for June 5th. Other teams that have offered Perrone include Maryland, UCF, West Virginia, and Appalachian State
As a quarterback, Perrone possesses all the ability to thrive at the college level. His arm talent is impressive, his mechanics are smooth, and he is very consistent in key areas of his game. It is very rare to see Perrone not know what he is seeing or misfire on a throw, and he constantly puts his team in a good position to have success. Add in his rushing ability and playmaking out of structure, and Perrone is a quarterback who has the upside to do a bit of everything.
Playing at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2026, Perrone has a chance to truly elevate his profile this summer and fall. He has the ability to play at the highest level of the sport, which he has already shown throughout his very successful high school career. With his recruitment fully back open, I would not be surprised to see Perrone create some real buzz for himself as the chase for his commitment begins once again.
