Terps get big support from ESPN analyst
Former Midshipmen quarterback starting his transition into a slot receiver for NFL Bilas lists UM among his national title favorites
Malcolm Perry has been working out four days per week with a personal trainer. Leonard Stephens of Perfect Performance was initially focused on preparing Perry for the Navy football “Pro Day,” being held March 25. Those training sessions took on added importance this week when Perry was officially invited to the NFL scouting combine, an honor accorded a select group of college football players.
Perry was among 337 players invited to the NFL combine, being held Feb. 23 through March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior starred at quarterback for Navy this past season but will attend the combine as a wide receiver.
“It’s super exciting and something I’m really looking forward to,” Perry told Baltimore Sun Media in a phone interview Wednesday. “I’m just trying to do as much as possible to get ready to perform to the best of my ability. There’s a lot of work to be done between now and then.”
Perry will be among 55 wide receivers participating in the NFL combine, joining a who’s who of standout players at that position such as Associated Press All-Americans CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma), Michael Pittman (USC) and Omar Bayless (Arkansas State).
Gabriel Davis (Central Florida), Antonio Gibson (Memphis), Darnell Mooney (Tulane) and James Proche (SMU) are the other wide receivers from American
The Maryland men’s basketball team will take on Michigan State on Saturday night in East Lansing in a nationally televised game. Earlier in the day, ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be held at the Breslin Center, featuring Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg.
Bilas has been high on the Terps, who sit atop the Big Ten standings.
In the latest volume of “The Bilas Index,” the analyst’s comprehensive evaluation of the top 68 teams in college basketball, he listed Maryland in “Tier 1: National title favorites.” In his breakdown of the Terps, Bilas wrote, “The metrics tell you what Maryland has done but not what Maryland is capable of, and the Terps are capable of far better.”
Bilas spoke with The Baltimore Sun about the coaching job Mark Turgeon has done, Maryland’s chances of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and the state of college basketball. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Every college hoops season, the talk around College Park is about Mark Turgeon and whether he can lead the Terps deep i nto the NCAA
Athletic Conference schools who were invited.
Perry’s stock as a professional prospect was improved by his performance at the East-West Shrine Game, which was basically a mini-combine featuring daily practices with NFL scouts in attendance along with evening interviews with those same evaluators. He only got one touch in the senior all-star game itself and certainly made the most of it.
Lining up as a quarterback in shotgun formation, Perry took the snap and scooted right on a speed option play. After faking a pitch to Central Florida tailback Adrian Killins, Perry exploded through an opening and raced 52 yards for a touchdown.
“I definitely think what I did during the East-West Shrine week will benefit me at the combine,” Perry said. “It was a similar setup, similar process. Going through that experience helped me understand what these [events] are all about.”
Perry is the second Navy football player ever invited to the NFL combine, following in the footsteps of long snapper Joe Cardona. The New England Patriots selected Cardona in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and the 6-3, 245-pounder just completed his fifth season as the team’s starting long snapper.
Perry said he planned on reaching out to Cardona on Thursday “to get a complete rundown on how the week goes and what it involves.”
Perry has also been watching YouTube videos to see for himself what happens at the combine. There is one such video titled “Best of Wide Receiver Workouts” that shows clearly all the tests and drills Perry will be put through.
Stephens comes to the Naval Academy twice per week to train Perry during the daily sports period allotted to all midshipmen. Perry then travels to the Perfect Performance facility in Tysons Corner, Virginia, on weekends for additional workouts.
“First and foremost, Malcolm Perry is just an outstanding young man and a real pleasure to work with,” said Stephens, a Howard University graduate who spent six seasons in the NFL. “Malcolm has been working really hard and I’m excited about his progress.”
Stephens has taken a twofold approach to preparing Perry for the combine. Part of the training regimen is focused on improving Perry’s skills as a slot receiver, the position he’s expected to play at the next level.
“Malcolm is transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver, so there is a learning curve there,” Stephens said. “I’m trying to get him to think from that position, to analyze information from a different spot on the field.
“We’re also working on things like getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage, route-running in terms of being very precise, as well as getting in and out of breaks. Come the combine, we want Malcolm to look smooth and confident with his routes.”
An equally important part of the training involves learning how to maximize performance in three of the most important measuring tests — 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and the pro agility shuttle (also known as the 5-10-5).
“Running the 40 is about straight-line speed, and there are ways for athletes to improve their time with proper technique,” Stephens said. “The three-cone and 5-10-5 are more about being able to accelerate, decelerate, then accelerate again.”
Stephens said repetition and consistency are the keys to performing well in those speed and agility drills.
“Malcolm is already fast, quick and explosive.,” Stephens said. “What matters is making sure that ability is manifest through the best possible results.
“Training for a combine or pro day is all about being comfortable executing in the moment. It’s like taking the ACT or SAT. You can be the smartest student in the world, but you won’t do well if you don’t know how to take the test.”
Some scouting services rate Perry as a mid- to late-round selection in the upcoming draft, which will be held April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
Perry has retained Jason Bernstein of Clarity Sports to help navigate the process.