Similar name, but same game?
Slotback recruit looking to become Mids’ new big-play threat
For the past three seasons, Malcolm Perry was the primary playmaker for the Navy football program.
Whether operating at slotback or quarterback, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound speedster was a threat to go all the way every time he touched the ball.
Perry closed out his record-setting career ranked second in Navy history with 4,359 rushing yards, 200 shy of the mark held by Keenan Reynolds (4,559 from 2012-15). As a senior, Perry set the Football Bowl Subdivision record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 2,107 — shattering the Navy single-season record in the process.
As Perry rides off into the sunset, possibly toward a career in the National Football League, a promising recruit with a remarkably similar name is set to join the program.
Navy football fans, please welcome Malcolm Terry.
Malcolm Terry shares a lot of similarities to Malcolm Perry. First, the Gonzaga College graduate was recruited as a slotback, one of the positions Perry played for the Midshipmen.
Perry’s parents were both United States Army veterans. Terry is the son of a former Navy special warfare officer, while his grandfathers on both sides served in the Army.
Malcolm Terry the recruit was able to spend time with Malcolm Perry the star quarterback during an unofficial visit to the Naval Academy. Omar Nelson, Director of Player Personnel, introduced Terry to Perry by saying, “Hey Malcolm, this kid has almost the exact same name as you.”
“When the Navy coaches started recruiting me, they talked about how they had a player named Malcolm Perry,” Terry said. “I got to meet Malcolm last summer and we had a nice talk.
“He’s a really great guy and an absolutely amazing player. I watched Malcolm play all season and he was just spectacular.”
Terry has yet to play a down for Navy and is already being mentioned in the same breath as one of the program’s all-time greats just because of the oddity of their name association.
Is the direct-entry recruit from the Class of 2020 concerned about bearing that unnecessary pressure?
“I love the pressure — that’s something I’ve always thrived under,” he said. “I like that [Perry] established that name of what Malcolms can do.”
Terry was a three-year varsity starter for Gonzaga College, which plays in the highly competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. He started at cornerback as a sophomore, then as a running back and slot receiver as a junior and senior.
“This is a stellar human being when you talk about Malcolm Terry,” Gonzaga head coach Randy Trivers said. “His father was a Navy SEAL so it’s in Malcolm’s blood to be part of that branch of the armed forces.
“Malcolm is a leader among leaders here at Gonzaga College. I think Malcolm is ultimately going to make a tremendous impact on the Navy football program.”
Terry gave Navy a very early verbal commitment, delivering his pledge May 4 after also considering offers from Columbia and Yale of the Ivy League along with Fordham and Georgetown of the Patriot League.
“I think Malcolm kind of had his heart set on Navy for a long time,” Trivers said.
As a senior, Terry led the team in rushing and ranked second in receiving, touching the ball “more than any player on our team,” Trivers said. The 5-9, 186-pounder is thickly built and muscular, the head coach added.
“Malcolm is a solid blend of speed, quickness and power,” Trivers said. “He can make you miss or break your tackle.
“Malcolm is a real brickhouse — very, very strong. He can sling some serious steel in the weight room for someone his size. [He’s] just a very impressive athlete and an extremely tough football player.”
Indeed, Terry takes pride in having only missed four offseason workouts during his entire career at Gonzaga College, even though it meant getting from Crofton to D.C. by 7 a.m.
Gonzaga employed more of a pro-style offense, so Trivers was asked if he thought Terry was a good fit as a slotback in Navy’s patented triple-option attack.
“I definitely think Malcolm can handle the physicality of that position in terms of blocking,” Trivers said. “He also has the elusiveness and pass-catching ability to do what is asked of a slot in that type of offense.
“He can catch the ball vertically down the field or catch the ball coming across the middle. He can run the ball inside with power or turn the corner and get the edge.”
Terry is among nine seniors from Gonzaga College who earned Division I scholarships. Also among that group are three offensive linemen — left tackle Olu Fashanu (Penn State), right tackle Patrick Matan (N.C. State) and center Jestus Johnson (Virginia) — who paved the way for standout tailback.
Terry lived on base at Fort Meade then later in the Seven Oaks community of Odenton when his father was still active duty and working in cryptology at the National Security Agency.
The family moved to Crofton the summer before Terry’s freshman year at G onzaga.
Jae Terry was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia, toward the end of his Naval career and elected to commute back and forth so his family did not need to relocate.
Kim Terry is a career educator, currently serving as principal at Hillsmere Elementary in Annapolis.
Jae Terry retired from the Navy and earned a law degree from Catholic University. He drove into D.C. far earlier than classes began in order to drop off his son at Gonzaga.
Malcolm played for the Fort Meade Cougars for five seasons before joining the I-5 Elite program of the Grassroots Youth Football League. Trivers spotted Terry at a combine and the rest is history.
“Coming to Gonzaga was the best decision of my life and Coach Trivers has become like a second father to me,” Terry said.
“I owe an awful lot to Coach T, who is a big reason why I’m getting this great opportunity at Navy.”
Terry grew up watching the Army-Navy game because of his family’s ties to both services. His mother got a real kick out of constantly hearing the name Malcolm Perry during the broadcast the past three seasons.
“I hope Navy can have just as much success with the next Malcolm as it did with the last,” Trivers said.