Perkins gets boost from trio of talented transfers

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins has built a football powerhouse since Jalen Santoro took over as head coach in 2020. The Pirates have a sparkling 54-13 record over the past five years, which has helped raised the program's profile locally and statewide. It also has piqued the interest of athletes, and Perkins will benefit this season from the transfers of three talented players. Senior quarterback Grant Kuhnle, senior linebacker/H-back Boden Ballinger and junior wide receiver/defensive back Dante Shipp Jr. started classes at Perkins in the weeks and months after their respective 2025 football seasons. Kuhnle moved into the Perkins district after playing at St. Paul. Ballinger enrolled at Perkins in January after playing at Wadsworth. Shipp grew up in the Perkins system and transferred back to PHS after playing two years of varsity football at Sandusky. Santoro chalks up the increased movement at the high school level to a "build it and they will come" mentality. "It's happening everywhere. Kids are going somewhere where they can succeed, compete and get to the next level," Santoro said. "We've had success and obviously people want to be a part of that. "People have moved into our district and played here in the past. We also lost Dale Johnson (Sandusky), Julian Washington (Margaretta) and a handful of super-good players that were here, too. It works both way. "If Julian Washington had stayed at Perkins he probably would've been a really good football player for us. Dale Johnson would've been a really good player for us." Johnson is a freshman on Wayne State's football team. Washington is playing basketball at Dayton. Perkins is one of several area schools to gain or lose transfers heading into this season. "We've lost kids to local schools, too, even kids that probably didn't start for us but would've been really good depth pieces and good players as juniors and seniors who have played earlier at other schools," Santoro said. Kuhnle, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior, will start at quarterback for the Pirates. He was a second team All-Firelands Conference selection last year at St. Paul. Kuhnle also was a standout in basketball last season for Perkins — he made seven 3-pointers in a district semifinal — and played on the Pirates' state championship baseball team in the spring. "Really smart kid with a strong arm, a very good quarterback," Santoro said. "We're excited to see what he can do in live action." Kuhnle attended several college camps over the summer and is on several watch lists that track the top quarterbacks in Ohio. Ballinger, a physical 6-1, 215-pound senior, came to Perkins in January and was an All-Ohio wrestler for the Pirates. Last fall at Wadsworth, he suffered a knee injury in Week 2 and missed the rest of the football season. "He's a tough kid. Strong, very tough. You need that," Santoro said. "You have to have that healthy mix of speed and athleticism, but you have to have some guys who are physical in the trenches. He's one of those guys who brings physicality to our team." Like Kuhnle, Ballinger has aspirations of playing college football. Shipp, meanwhile, is the area's most decorated college recruit and has more than a dozen big-time football offers. Penn State, Tennessee, Auburn and Illinois are among the schools vying for Shipp's services at the next level. The 6-1, 185-pound Shipp, who scored eight total touchdowns as a sophomore at Sandusky, will be part of a talented group of skill players at Perkins. "He'll be all over the field," Santoro said. "When you have good players, you have to find ways to get them the ball in space." Santoro was happy to add the three players, who all met OHSAA eligibility requirements to compete in winter sports last season. "We're not in Cleveland or Toledo where those kids can go to a high school district one semester and go somewhere else the next," Santoro said. "We're in a spot where people want to move in and be part of something special. It happens, but it's very minute compared to the Glenvilles, the St. Eds, the Massillons. "You look across the state and people are moving where they can be successful. The biggest thing in today's world is getting an opportunity to play college football. Kids are trying to better themselves for the future." The most high-profile transfer case in Ohio centers around Ohio State commit Jamier Brown. Brown, considered the top wide receiver in the Class of 2027, transferred earlier this year from Wayne High School near Dayton to Big Walnut near Columbus to be closer to Ohio State's campus. He received an exemption from the OHSAA to compete at the state track meet and won three individual championships. Now he's back at Wayne, hoping to play football for his old school. Brown's lawsuit against the OHSAA last year forced the state association to alter its rules about Name, Image and Likeness. Another recent high-profile football transfer case involved brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister, who transferred from Akron Hoban to Massillon Washington three months ago. Brayton Feister, a senior, committed to Oregon last week. Brydon is a junior. "It's just the nature of college trickling down to high school," said Santoro of all the movement. "The NIL and transfer portal at the college level, kids are seeing it now. You've been seeing it the past five years at the high school level. Guys are moving where they think they can be successful. "Jamier Brown transfers to Big Walnut and wins a state title in track and now he's completely eligible to go back and play football at Wayne. The Feister brothers at Massillon — two of the nation's top recruits — they leave Hoban and go to Massillon and they're eligible and ready to go. Glenville, they got 20 new kids every year and they automatically have Div. I offers. "It happens. There's kids who move in every school district. When you have success people try to pinpoint that."