E. J. Perry (American football)

Ernest Joseph Perry IV (born August 26, 1998) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Boston College and Brown.

E. J. Perry
refer to caption
Perry playing for Brown in 2021.
Personal information
Born: (1998-08-16) August 16, 1998
Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Andover High School
(Andover, Massachusetts)
College:Boston College (2017−2018)
Brown (2019−2021)
Position:Quarterback
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and high school

Perry grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and attended Andover High School. He played football at Andover for his father, E. J. Perry III, and was a four-year starter at quarterback. Perry set the single-game state record for passing yards with 636 during his junior season and was featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd.[1] As a senior, Perry was named the Boston Globe Division 1 Player of the Year after he passed for 3,398 yards and 47 touchdowns, which tied the state record, and also rushed for 1,006 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.[2][3] He finished his high school career with 8,712 passing yards and 114 touchdown passes, both of which are second in Massachusetts high school history.[4] Perry committed to play college football at Boston College over FBS offers from UMass and Ohio and from FCS schools New Hampshire, Holy Cross, Monmouth, Bryant, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown and Columbia.[5]

College career

Perry began his collegiate career at Boston College and joined the team as an early enrollee.[6] He played in one game as a freshman but did not throw a pass. As a sophomore, Perry played in five games and completed 27 of 39 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Following the end of the season, Perry announced that he would be transferring to Brown where his uncle, James Perry had recently been named head coach.[7]

Perry was named the Brown Bears' starting quarterback going into his first season with the team. He was named first-team All-Ivy League after completing 251 of 418 pass attempts for 2,948 yards and 22 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and also leading the team with 730 rushing yards with eight touchdowns.[8] He also played basketball for Brown following the season.[9] Perry's initial senior season in 2020 was canceled due to Covid-19.[10]

In 2021, Perry won the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League's top offensive player and was again named first-team all-conference after completing 295 of 444 attempts for 3,033 yards and 23 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and rushing for 402 yards and seven touchdowns.[11][12] He also won The George H. "Bulger" Lowe Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston as the best offensive player in New England and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.[13] After the conclusion of his college career, Perry was invited to play in the 2022 East–West Shrine Bowl.[14][15] He completed 13-of-18 passing attempts for 241 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for two two-point conversions and was named the game's offensive MVP.[16]

College statistics
Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2018Boston College 402−2273969.227720145.820703.51
2019Brown 10102−824941659.92,9382213130.41417275.28
2020Brown 000−0Season canceled due to Covid-19
2021Brown 10102−829644566.53,0342314134.61114023.67
Career[17]24206−1857290063.56,2474727133.12721,1994.416

Professional career

Perry participated in the 2022 NFL Combine and received the highest overall athleticism score of any quarterback invited.[18][19] Leading up to the draft he worked out with New England Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Jarrett Stidham at Edge Performance Systems in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[20]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 1+5⁄8 in
(1.87 m)		 211 lb
(96 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		4.65 s4.18 s6.85 s34.5 in
(0.88 m)		10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
All values from NFL Combine[21][22][23]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Perry initially agreed to terms for a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft.[24] However, he opted not to sign with the team after the Eagles signed quarterback Carson Strong and instead signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on May 3, 2022.[25] On July 24, 2022, the Jaguars released Perry with a non-football injury designation.[26] He was re-signed by the Jaguars on August 9, 2022.[27] Perry was waived a second time on August 30, 2022, during final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad.[28][29] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jaguars on January 23, 2023.[30] He was waived on March 7, 2023.[31]

Houston Texans

On March 8, 2023, Perry was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.[32] He was waived on May 11, 2023.

Michigan Panthers

Perry signed with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL on May 30, 2023.[33] He was released from his contract on August 12, 2023, to sign with an NFL team.[34]

Houston Texans (second stint)

Perry re-signed with the Houston Texans on August 13, 2023.[35] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[36]

Personal life

Another uncle of Perry's, John Perry, is a football coach and was previously the head coach at Merrimack College.[37] John also was a receiver coach for the Houston Texans.

References
  1. "FACES IN THE CROWD". Sports Illustrated. November 30, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. "Program pedigree draws Andover's EJ Perry to Boston College". Boston Herald. February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  3. "BC's EJ Perry had help making adjustment to college football". Boston Globe. April 20, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. "Andover's EJ Perry makes his mark". Boston Herald. November 25, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  5. Hall, Brendan (April 24, 2016). "Andover's E.J. Perry IV commits to Boston College". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. Muldoon, Michael (December 1, 2016). "It hasn't always been easy, but together E.J. Perry IV and his father have made history". Andover Townsman. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  7. "Andover's Perry thrilled for new opportunity with Brown football". The Eagle-Tribune. August 18, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  8. "All-American Perry impatiently waits for football in spring". The Eagle-Tribune. September 13, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  9. Raven, Benjamin (February 22, 2022). "2022 NFL combine: Detroit Lions staring down crowded group at top of this year's ho-hum quarterback class". MLive.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  10. "Why were NFL scouts flocking to Brown University football games this fall?". The Boston Globe. December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. Koch, Bill (December 13, 2021). "Ivy League names Brown QB EJ Perry the winner of the Bushnell Cup as top offensive player". The Providence Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  12. Burt, Bill (December 19, 2021). "Pro ambitions: Coach James Perry on his nephew E.J., 'He's ready'". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  13. Coit, Nick (November 23, 2021). "Brown QB E.J. Perry Named Finalist For Walter Payton Award". ABC6.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  14. Thompson, Rich (January 24, 2022). "Brown quarterback EJ Perry chasing NFL dreams". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  15. Reid, Jordan (December 28, 2021). "Meet the 2022 NFL draft quarterbacks: Stats, background and analysis for Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, Malik Willis". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  16. Sam, Doric (February 4, 2022). "EJ Perry Named Offensive MVP as West Beats East in 2022 Shrine Bowl". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  17. "EJ Perry College Stats". ESPN. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  18. "EJ Perry puts Brown on the map at the NFL Combine with hopes to make school history". The Providence Journal. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  19. Neville, Scott (March 4, 2022). "Local Athlete Turns Heads With Electric Showing At 2022 NFL Combine". NESN.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  20. Volin, Ben (March 22, 2022). "Brown's E.J. Perry is a rarity: An Ivy League quarterback who is an almost certain NFL draft pick". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  21. "EJ Perry Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  22. "NFL Combine: Official measurements for every NFL Draft prospect in Indianapolis". theathletic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  23. "EJ Perry, Brown, QB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  24. "It wasn't how he planned it, but Brown QB EJ Perry lands in the NFL". The Providence Journal. May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  25. Alper, Josh (May 3, 2022). "Undrafted free agent QB EJ Perry to sign with Jags after initial agreement with Eagles". ProFootballTalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  26. "Roster Moves: Jaguars sign QB Kyle Sloter, release QB EJ Perry". Jaguars.com. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  27. Alper, Josh (August 9, 2022). "Jaguars bring back EJ Perry". Profootballtalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  28. "E.J. Perry: Waived by Jags". CBS Sports. RotoWire. August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  29. "Roster Moves: Jaguars make 11 additions to the practice squad". Jaguars.com. August 31, 2022.
  30. "Jaguars' E.J. Perry: Gets another deal with Jacksonville". CBS Sports. RotoWire. January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  31. @Jaguars (March 7, 2023). "We have waived QB E.J. Perry" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. "Houston Texans Transactions (3-8-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  33. @USFLPanthers (May 30, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Twitter.
  34. @USFLPanthers (August 12, 2023). "Contract Terminated / Signing with NFL Team" (Tweet). Retrieved August 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
  35. "Houston Texans Transactions (8-13-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  36. "Texans announce initial 53-man roster". HoustonTexans.com. August 29, 2023.
  37. "Every fall, the Perrys grow their legacy as the state's first family". Boston Globe. September 12, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.