All Rodney Allison could do was laugh Thursday when asked about Jacksonville State’s signing of dismissed LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach said the Mocs’ game against the Gamecocks on Sept. 20 at Finley Stadium definitely looks different now than it did a few days ago, before it included the 6-foot-2, 222-pound junior. Perrilloux was the most valuable player in the Tigers’ win over Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference championship game and owns a national championship ring.

“That certainly gives them a quarterback,” Allison said. “We’ll see how that pans out, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Gamecocks, who have beaten UTC two years in a row, are replacing one quarterback booted off the team with another. Last year’s starter, Cedric Johnson, was dismissed during the winter by coach Jack Crowe for violating team rules, and the Gamecocks also lost three other quarterbacks. Two left the team and one graduated.

Despite his off-the-field incidents, Perrilloux had numerous suitors from the Football Championship Subdivision. But the Mocs weren’t one of them, Allison said.

“We did some preliminary research but came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to pursue him,” Allison said.

In last season’s opener against Carson-Newman, the Mocs went up against another notable former SEC player in receiver James Banks, who began his career at Tennessee. Banks wasn’t much of a factor in the Eagles’ 29-17 win over UTC, though he had one reception for 9 yards and a punt return of 41 yards.

The key difference with Perrilloux is that the ball will be in his hands on every offensive play, if he’s the JSU quarterback. Against the Vols, he was 20-for-30 for 243 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

Back in California

UTC recruiting coordinator Jason McManus is recruiting at Chabot College near San Francisco today on the same day as the JCFootball.com Northern California combine for unsigned junior college sophomores. The Mocs are still looking to add depth on their offensive and defensive lines, Allison said.

Earlier this month, defensive line coach Fred Tate attended the Southern California combine at Cerritos College, a trip that hasn’t yet resulted in a player signing with UTC but eventually might.

“We’ve got a couple of possibilities,” Allison said. “We’re still researching some guys.”