New offensive coordinator, no problem for Kats

Jul. 30—HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston football was left with a major hole to fill after its 42-19 loss to Montana State in the FCS quarterfinals.

Ryan Carty had already accepted the role of the Delaware Blue Hens head football coach leaving the Kats to fill the role.

This led Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler to hire a coach with seven years of NFL coaching experience and a similar background of the way Keeler runs his offense.

"There's not that big of a transition," Keeler said. "This is the third [offensive] coordinator in a row that has a New Hampshire background and a Chip Kelly background. Tim Cramsey, now at Memphis, came from New Hampshire, Ryan Carty was hired by Chip and now we have John Perry."

Perry has seen time with the Houston Texans as a tight end and receiver coach but in 2020 he was an offensive assistant at Rutgers. In his lone year with the Scarlet Knights, they saw 310.6 yards per game.

Perry will take over a rebuilding offense at Sam Houston, he also brings knowledge to the skill positions to help them get to the next level. In his time with the Texans, he coached DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks in his time with the Texans.

Now guys like Cody Chrest and Ife Adeyi can learn from a coach who can show them what they need to do at the next level.

"It's been incredible," Chrest said. " He came from where most of us aspire to go. He coached in the NFL for a long time and particularly for me, he coached wide receivers. He coached one of the greatest wide receivers in DeAndre Hopkins. It's great for me because I get all of the knowledge that I want and need to get me to the next level. In my film studies, I get to watch the best do it. I get to learn from some of the best. It's an incredible opportunity."

"Even though he has seven years under his belt with the Texans he has a college background," Keeler said. "We hired him for a reason. He's a phenomenal football coach but I like the continuity that he will bring to the offense. That's what you will see."

Perry has only been on the coaching staff for a short while, he has already made an impression on the offense. Now he will be given the keys to an offense that is in a rebuild and gearing up for FBS play in 2023.

"He's a brilliant mind and he's an incredible man," Chrest said. "He's enjoyable to be around and he pushes us to do our due diligence and increase our understanding of the game. I've seen a lot of growth from all of our players and particularly myself. I give him so much respect for the knowledge he's shared. We're very blessed to have him and he will be a huge benefit to our team."

The Bearkats will open their 2022 season Sept. 3 with a trip to College Station to face Texas A&M. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m.