The Michigan Panthers look to make some noise in the first season of the UFL, and they will be led by quarterback E.J. Perry to start the year.
The Panthers open against the St. Louis Battlehawks this weekend; here is a look at what Panthers fans can expect out of Perry.
Who Is the Michigan Panthers’ Starting QB, E.J. Perry?
Perry is from Massachusetts and played his high school football at Andover. He was a four-year starter, and his dad was the coach. During one game, he threw for a state record 636 yards and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd.
This is going to be a GOOD one‼️@XFLBattlehawks vs. @USFLPanthers Saturday at 4pm ET on FOX 📺 pic.twitter.com/Kvii0M9AjP
— UFL (@XFL2023) March 26, 2024
During his high school career, he threw for 8,712 yards and 114 touchdowns. Both of those statistics rank second in Massachusetts history. After high school, he committed to play at Boston College.
He played four games during his freshman season at Boston College and threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns. However, after the season, Perry transferred and decided to continue his collegiate career at Brown.
Perry was the starting quarterback for two seasons, as the 2020-21 Ivy League season was canceled due to COVID-19. He finished his two seasons at Brown throwing for 5,972 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions.
During the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, Perry showed the type of athlete he is, receiving the highest overall relative athleticism score for any quarterback. That class included pretty good athletes such as Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett.
Despite not being drafted, he signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has spent parts of the last two years in the NFL with the Jaguars and Houston Texans.
On May 30, 2023, he signed with the Michigan Panthers and started one game. He completed 12 of 23 passes for 121 yards.
Last December, he was signed by the Jaguars again and put on the practice squad after Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion injury. He re-signed with the Panthers on Jan. 22, 2024.
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He will lead the Panthers into the season-opener against the Battlehawks. St. Louis is captained by quarterback AJ McCarron, and the quarterback position will be on full display in the opener.
Michigan fans are hoping that Perry can have a season similar to the one McCarron had last year.
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