By GEORGE MAHL – Sports Editor

RESERVE – He is the number one high school quarterback in the nation. For East St. John quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, summer doesn’t mean rest and relaxation it means making visits to various Universities and camps across the country.

He estimates that he has a total of 82 scholarship offers.

Over the last few weeks, Perrilloux has visited Florida State, Florida, Texas and attended a camp in California.

“I enjoyed my visit to Florida State,” Perrilloux said recently.

“They have nice facilities and good coaches. I think I would fit in well over there. Plus, it’s only a six hour drive.”

The Seminoles, according to Perrilloux, run a base offense that would enjoy.

They do a lot of stuff where the quarterbacks step back and throw down the field. I like that type of offense,” he said.

One of the people Perrilloux met was Florida State Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden.

“He’s lively for an old guy,” he said while smiling. “He just told me that everywhere you go you have to be competitive. It was just an honor to be with and hold a conversation with a coach that has won more than 360 games.”

Perrilloux caught the eye of everyone during his trip to Florida State.

According to East St. John Offensive line coach Dustin Yates, Perrilloux only missed about five or six passes while in Tallahassee. Perrilloux threw about 70 passes while at FSU.

“It was a positive experience,” said Perrilloux.

Next, it was down to Gainesville and a trip to the University of Florida.

The Gators are coached by former Saints defensive coordinator Ron Zook.

Perrilloux compares Zook to another coach that has had success.

“I would say Coach Zook is a little bit like Coach (Nick) Saban. He is right there timing the players in the 40. He’s a hands on type of guy.”

While Perrilloux enjoyed the facilities at Florida, he was almost in awe of the stadium known as “The Swamp”.

“With the way the seating is set up, I can see why it’s tough for opponents to win. It seats around 91,000,” he said.

While at Florida, Perrilloux got to work against the fourth rated high school cornerback in the nation, Demetrius Morley.

“I completed two of three passes against him,” he said.

If there is a school that the five-star quarterback is leaning towards, it might be Texas. Perrilloux and his family recently went to see the Austin campus.

“I guess you could say I like Texas more than anybody. I felt comfortable around the coaches and players. It’s like a family atmosphere over there.”

Perrilloux admitted that even his family that accompanied him to Texas enjoyed the visit.

LSU Tiger fans need not worry. Perrilloux said the Baton Rouge school is still at the top of his list. Perrilloux says part of the reason he likes LSU is because his friends play for LSU.

“I would like to play with LaRon (LaRon Landry), Cooter (Kirston Pittman), Early (Doucet) and the others.”

His next stop was California where he attended the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp, which features the top 11 high school quarterbacks in the country.

The 2003 All-State quarterback said he does not mind all of the media attention he is getting. At least not yet.

“It really does not bother me. Just before we started talking I had a reporter from Austin, Texas call my cell phone asking me about my choices (of which school he will attend).”

East St. John Head Football Coach Larry Dauterive said his quarterback has been a hit with the various media while making visits.

“I am just enjoying the recruiting process right now. I am more than happy to sign autographs for kids after a workout,” Perrilloux said.