East Carolina’s 2027 recruiting class is officially underway, and the Pirates may have landed a cornerstone piece right off the bat. The Pirates received their first commitment on June 3 from one of the top quarterbacks in Florida, James Perrone of Fort Lauderdale.
Perrone, who is transferring to powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas for his senior year, is considered a three-star prospect from 247Sports. He is the No. 66 player in Florida and the No. 39 quarterback nationally. He picked the Pirates over an offer sheet that included ECU conference rivals South Florida and Memphis, as well as Wake Forest, App State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and others.
Perrone earned an offer from the Pirates after a recent throwing session in front of ECU staff, according to 247Sports. He committed shortly thereafter.
His production the past two seasons also got the attention of ECU coaches. Perrone threw for 3,231 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior at Southridge High in Miami in 2025. He only had five interceptions and rushed for an additional 636 yards and nine scores.
In 2024, Perrone earned all-state status and was named the Miami-Dade 7A-4A Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the Miami Herald. He piloted Southridge to the state semifinals at the 6A level, finishing with 2,966 passing yards and 30 scoring tosses.
He has been playing at the varsity level since his freshman season, compiling 7,702 career passing yards, 79 passing TDs, 15 rushing TDs and 26 total interceptions, per 247Sports.
Perrone has an official visit set up at ECU for the weekend of June 11.
What does it mean?
ECU fans were treated to exceptional quarterback play the past two seasons from Katin Houser, who led a high-octane Pirates offense to nine wins and a bowl victory over Pitt. Houser threw for 5,306 yards and 37 TDs over 21 games before transferring to Illinois in the off-season.
In Perrone, East Carolina seems to be getting a similar mold – a prolific passer who can keep plays alive with his feet.
Quarterbacks often become the face of a recruiting class, and Perrone gives East Carolina an accomplished signal caller around whom to build. The Florida standout already owns more than 7,700 career passing yards and is expected to spend his senior season competing against elite competition at St. Thomas Aquinas.
By securing an early commitment from a productive quarterback, the Pirates now have a recruiting centerpiece who could help attract additional skill-position talent to Greenville over the coming months.
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