Pearman opts to transfer

The UH freshman running back's father
says his son's decision to leave
Hawaii is 'final'

Paperwork is in motion for Hawaii true-freshman running back Andrew Pearman to leave UH after this semester, Pearman's father said yesterday.

Alvin Pearman said his son will try to transfer to Virginia, the school he had orally committed to before changing his mind and signing with UH last February. Pearman, the fastest high school football player in North Carolina last year, was considered the brightest prospect in the Warriors' 2004 recruiting class.

"We can't say, 'Yes, he's going to Virginia,' but we have hopes he might be received there," Alvin Pearman said in a phone conversation from the family's Charlotte, N.C., home. "There are a lot of positives for him there, but who knows if they'll want him back. At this point that's the only place he's looking at."

Pearman's father said the decision to leave Hawaii "is final," but some loose ends need to be handled before Andrew is completely released from the football program. He plans to finish the school semester here, the father said.

"We just want to make sure we know what all the penalties are," he said. "We want to make sure there's nothing crazy like he has to sit out three years or something."

Per NCAA rules, Pearman would have to sit out a year after he enrolls in another school before he is eligible to play in games. He would then have three seasons to compete.

Pearman has been on excused leave from the football team since last week to deal with homesickness and decide on his future. He was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Alvin Pearman said he believed coach June Jones was aware of the decision, because of release forms that had to be signed by the coach and athletic director Herman Frazier.

Jones declined comment.

Andrew Pearman, 5-feet-9, 175 pounds, rushed for a county single-season record 2,268 yards in 2003 at Providence High School in Charlotte. He has been timed (electronically) at 4.3 in 40 meters and 10.3 in 100 meters.

Pearman was given a chance to play as a true freshman at wide receiver for UH, but he injured a hamstring early in preseason camp. He was moved to running back, his preferred position, where he practiced on the scout team.

His brother, also named Alvin Pearman, is a senior running back at Virginia. He has rushed for 838 yards and nine touchdowns.