Yukon’s Olsen ready to play and serve at Naval Academy
Perry Olsen’s quarterbacking skills were almost an afterthought.
Before his senior season, Olsen was putting together highlights of his career at Southmoore to send to prospective colleges.
Up until that point he had primarily played linebacker, but he was the backup quarterback, too. So he included a few clips of him passing and running on offense in a scrimmage just to show off a bit of his diversity as an athlete.
That little glimpse was all the Naval Academy needed.
“I didn’t think much of it when I sent it off,” Olsen said. “Thank God I did.”
Olsen will sign with Navy on Wednesday after a wild year in which he switched high schools, learned how to run the option and discovered exactly where he wants to be not only for the next four years, but possibly forever.
“Going to Navy, it sets you up for life,” Olsen said ahead of the new December signing day period. “I made my decision over the summer and when I went up there on a visit last June, I knew for a fact that was where I would go because it felt like home.”
This was all before Olsen moved into the Yukon School District after hisdad changed jobs.
Like with any new student, Olsen said he was nervous about starting at a new school for just his senior year.
“I feel like I had a little bit of a bad reputation for about a week or so,” Olsen said of his transfer. “But once people got to know me everything got easier.”
The football part of it was harder, however.
Southmoore ran a spread offense, but Yukon coach Jeremy Reed ran the triple option.
“That was like a foreign language to me,” Olsen said. “To me, it was like bringing back a dinosaur. The first month was very confusing to me, but I fell in love with the offense and our whole team really bought in.”
Success came with confidence. Olsen averaged more than 100 yards rushing per game to go along with more than 500 yards passing on the season and 20 total touchdowns.
Olsen said it also took him some time to figure out the difference in demeanor a quarterback must have compared to a linebacker.
As a leader on the defense, Olsen said he was always trying to fire up his teammates. But quarterback required a much more subtle approach.
“Being the quarterback, you gotta stay calm the whole time,” he said. “It’s all about how you handle adversity and respond to it because the quarterback is the leader.”
As he prepares to sign his official letter of intent, Olsen said he’s been thinking a lot about the tape that got him the offer from Navy. He wants to live up to the promise the Midshipmen coaches saw in him.
“They took a huge leap of faith on me and offered me,” he said. “I can’t wait to sign. I’m ready to serve this beautiful country and play for Navy.”