His dad calls him “a father’s dream, on and off the field.”Fellow linebacker Jacob Cutrera calls him a vulture, and childhood teammate Kelvin Sheppard says he is “like my brother.”LSU senior linebacker Perry Riley has left his mark on the LSU linebacking corps, consistently ranking at the top statistically in tackles and emerging as a quiet leader for the defensive unit.Cutrera said Riley is one of his closest friends at LSU.”He’s kind of quiet sometimes, but he can be loud if he gets riled up,” Cutrera said. “I can trust him on the field and off the field. We love each other.”Sheppard said he has known Riley since they were about 8, going all the way back to youth football and high school, where Riley also played running back.”It’s a great opportunity on Saturdays that he’s out there next to me,” Sheppard said. “We’ve been playing linebacker for so long together. He knows my personality, and he knows when I need a pat on the head and he’ll tell me ‘Let’s go.’ I’ll do the same for him.”Riley said his ties with Sheppard extend even to the rest of their families.”Our dads are best friends, and we’re best friends,” Riley said. “Our family tree goes back a long way … We have two brothers who are the same age, and they grew up together. The generation keeps going.”Riley’s father, Perry Riley Sr., said LSU was the first school his son visited as the recruiting process began in high school. Riley Jr. was ranked in the top three linebackers in Georgia as a senior.”He was sold on LSU from day one,” Riley Sr. said. “I had to make him take his other visits [to Georgia, Virginia Tech and Auburn]. He didn’t want to visit any other schools after LSU.”Riley Sr. said former LSU co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bradley Dale Peveto helped recruit his son. When Riley Jr. got to LSU as a freshman, his father said he knew it would take some time before he earned a major role at linebacker.”I would ask [Peveto] every day, ‘When is Perry going to start?'” Riley Sr. said. “And he would tell me, ‘Mr. Riley, give him time. He’s going to be a good one and have his day.’ At a program like LSU, you have to wait your turn and be ready for when it comes.”Riley Jr. did not have to wait long for his turn to come. He played in seven games as a true freshman and recorded his first tackle in LSU’s second game against Arizona.He got opportunities for even more playing time as his career went on, starting nine games as a junior in 2008 and earning Defensive Most Valuable Player honors when LSU beat Georgia Tech, 38-3, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31. He has recorded 135 total tackles as an LSU linebacker.Riley Jr. was also a finalist for the 2008 Dick Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in college football, and he is the only LSU player nominated for the award again this year.”Any kind of award your kids receive, you’re happy about it,” Riley Sr. said. “We’re hoping this year he can win [the Butkus Award].”Riley Jr. said he and Sheppard did not make a conscious effort to attend the same college.”[Sheppard and I] didn’t plan to come here together,” Riley Jr. said. “We both said we liked it here, but it just kind of happened that way. I’m glad it did.”- – – -Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]