When the top high school football recruit in Hawaii said "aloha" to the Arizona football program, it meant both hello and goodbye. Or, to be more specific, "hello," then "goodbye," then "hello again," and finally, "goodbye, for good."
Jeremy Perry, the 50th state's most coveted recruit this year according to an Oregon State press release, officially agreed to play for the Beavers yesterday, according to Hal Cowan, OSU's assistant athletic director.
Normally, a recruit doesn't make news when he is officially signed, sealed and delivered, but the case of the 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive lineman out of Kahuku (Hawaii) High School is hardly a normal one.
Perry, the first offensive lineman to be named offensive player of the year by the Honolulu Advertiser, told the newspaper's reporters last Tuesday - the day before national signing day - that he would commit to Arizona.
"I wanted to get off the island and see something new," Perry told the paper on Tuesday.
That was just the beginning. On national signing day, Perry took three letters - one each for UH, UA and OSU - to the podium at his press conference, according to the Advertiser. He signed Hawaii's letter, saying at the time that he had changed his mind after speaking to UH coach June Jones on the telephone the night before. Kahuku High officials then distributed a press release that said Perry had committed to UH.
But the prized lineman did not fax any of the letters, meaning he was still officially uncommitted.
His status remained up in the air until yesterday, when the Advertiser reported that Hawaii had pulled its scholarship offer, leaving the UA and Oregon State competing for Perry's services.
Finally, he faxed in his letter of intent to play for the Beavers yesterday.
Perry's high school coach, Siuaki Livai, said he wasn't sure why his star lineman chose Oregon State.
"I really don't know - he doesn't talk to that many people," said Livai.
Livai guessed that Perry may have decided to go to Corvallis because fellow Kuhuku players Walker Vave and Tevita Finau chose Oregon State. The three also play on the Red Raider hoops team together.
"Every day, the media's calling me," said Livai.
Livai said he didn't want to rush Perry. National signing day is only the first day a recruit can sign - the signing period lasts until April, and his coach said Perry seemed unhappy after signing with the 'Bows at the school's press conference.
"The whole media, everyone could see," Livai said.
Perry helped seven different Red Raider backs combine for more than 2,700 yards rushing during his senior year. His quarterbacks also passed for 2,053 yards en route to the state championship.
The National Letter of Intent is not NCAA-affiliated, but over 500 schools use it. A letter of intent is a one-year agreement for the student athlete to attend the school and the institution to provide athletics financial aid for that year, but does not have to be renewed.
Rainbow coaches declined comment.
"You never worry about the guys you lose," UA head coach Mike Stoops said during a press conference for national signing day. "There are always guys that you wish you could have gotten, but ultimately in recruiting, you get the guys you are supposed to get. You have to worry about the guys you have and what you can do to make them better."
Though Stoops did not specifically address Perry's case, he wished all of the non-Wildcat signees the best of luck.
"Ultimately, you want what is best for each individual recruit, and you want him to find a place where he can be successful," he said. "I have no hard feelings over anybody that we didn't get."
Washington hires ex-UA coach Dickey
Charlie Dickey, a former UA coach with longstanding ties to the program, became UW's new offensive line coach yesterday.
The native Arizonan was the most tenured member of the Wildcat coaching staff until his dismissal after last season.
A holdover from the Dick Tomey days, Dickey was demoted to tight ends coach last year. Dickey played at Arizona under Larry Smith in the mid-1980s and was the Wildcats' offensive most valuable player.
Dickey joins other members of last year's coaching staff in returning to the coaching ranks. Former interim head coach/defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz returned to Colorado, where he was defensive coordinator during the Buffaloes' 1990 national championship season. Former quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinski returned to Ball State, where he was in line to take over as head coach until he was lured to Tucson by the "legendary" John Mackovic.
"Jeff is an outstanding coach who we were lucky to attract when I was setting up my original staff a year ago," BSU head coach Brady Hoke said in a press release. "He had an opportunity to go work with one of the legendary coaches in college football in John Mackovic, and he could not pass that up. Coach Hecklinski is back and we are glad to have him at Ball State."