Joe Perri, who played collegiately at Pittsburgh and launched his coaching career with the Panthers, is temporarily stepping away from coaching college football.
Defensive line coach at FCS program Elon University since February 2024 and on staff there since 2022, Perri is departing the Phoenix to "take care of a family member and be with his family," FootballScoop has learned. Perri will step away from Elon for the entirety of the 2025 season.
With vast coaching experience including ACC work both at his alma mater as well as four seasons on staff at Virginia Tech, Perri has been regarded among his peers for his excellent work developing defensive linemen.
The Elon program had heralded Perri for his work with the defensive line, noting in his bio that Elon ranked 13th nationally in sacks per game in 2022 - same as Perri's arrival on staff -- with nearly 3.0 sacks per game. The Phoenix defense was top 20 again in 2023 and averaged two per game in 2024.
Additional stops for Perri have included Western Michigan and Saginaw Valley State, as well as junior college and other posts.
Elon, after an 6-6 season that included a four-game winning streak to close the year under Tony Trisciani, is scheduled to open its season against Duke for a second-straight year. The Phoenix visit the Blue Devils Aug. 28, a Thursday night game that kicks off college football's first full weekend of games.