Spotlight on Perry as he takes reins of offense
Malcolm Perry is a quiet, softspoken person by nature. If you administered some truth serum, Perry would probably acknowledge he really doesn’t enjoy doing interviews.
Like it or not, Perry now finds the spotlight shining directly on him. Having been named Navy’s starting quarterback, the unassuming junior suddenly finds himself the center of attention.
That was obvious Saturday as Navy conducted its annual Media Day and Fan Fest. When coach Ken Niumatalolo opened the floor for questions, the first one was about Perry. Down on the field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, fans sought out Perry for pictures and autographs.
“As far as the limelight and the pressure, I think Malcolm is ready for it and can handle it,” Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said. “Malcolm may be a really, really quiet kid, but he wants to be good at what he does and has a lot of determination. I expect great things from him this season.”
Niumatalolo announced that Perry would be the starting quarterback going into the 2018 season after last year’s Army-Navy game. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound speedster ran for 250 yards against the Black Knights, displaying the game-breaking ability that is best showcased as the signal-caller of the triple-option.
Perry rushed for 646 yards and seven touchdowns in just three starts at quarterback. It would have been even more had he not missed almost the second half of the Military Bowl after suffering an ankle injury.
Consider that Perry totaled 536 yards in nine starts at slotback and you understand why Niumatalolo and Jasper decided to put the ball in the hands of the team’s most dynamic playmaker.
Needless to say, there is excitement among the coaching staff about what Perry can do now that he’s had an entire offseason to focus on playing quarterback.
“We moved Malcolm late in the season so he didn’t have much time to be with Coach Jasper, who does a great job of developing quarterbacks,” Niumatalolo noted. “I’m looking forward to seeing the progress he makes this season.”
By all accounts, Perry has already made significant progress toward becoming a top-notch triple-option quarterback. The Tennessee native spent spring camp working to become a better passer and devoted the summer to learning the playbook.
“We know the running ability is already there so the focus in preseason camp is for Malcolm to continue to improve as a passer and gain more knowledge of the offense,” Jasper said. “It all comes down to Malcolm wanting to be a good quarterback. He is a very detail-oriented kid who works hard and is tough on himself.”
Jasper has seen Perry make strides in terms of throwing mechanics and said a big part of equation is having the confidence to connect with receivers during games.
Jasper has been coaching the Navy quarterbacks for 17 seasons and is a master of getting them to understand the intricacies of the triple-option offense. He has worked with a wide range of signal-callers and found a way to highlight the unique abilities of each.
“We have to make sure we put in a gameplan that takes advantage of Malcolm’s strengths. We don’t want to do too much.” Jasper said.