Mikale Perry '24 Recruiting Profile

What makes me a great teammate is that I understand the importance of a team.  It’s impossible to play this game without everyone doing their job and being accountable. When I got to high school, my coaches changed my position from tight-end, running back, and receiver to everything on the line. I had never played a down on the line in my life, and I’ve been playing football since I was 5. The adjustment was hard, but I kept reminding myself that I’m a football player, and I can play anywhere my coaches need me to play.

My freshmen year was tough. I tried to figure out the positions, but I had a hard time with hand placement and getting my stance just right. I was also looking for other things from the line perspective that I hadn’t needed to know with my other positions. I kept working through my sophomore year and I got a little better, but I still wanted to improve for my team. I will say that know when to ask for help, so I told my parents I needed it, and my dad found it. I spent every weekend working with a line coach during the off-season to figure out my job. 

By the time I showed up for camp this past summer, I had the skills and confidence to show my team I was ready.  Not only could the varsity linemen see the difference, but now my coaches were happy about all the ways they could use me. I was finally feeling like a real contributor again. All my hard work was finally paying off. 

I’m not just concerned about the game though because I still have to keep up with my classes too. School is hard sometimes, but I look at it the same way as football. I just have to keep working at it so I’m proud of my grades. Education is a really important part of my family, so I keep trying.  My goal this year is to get above a 3.2 GPA.

Ultimately, it’s important that I continue to evolve my football and academic skills so that I can go to college to study business and marketing.  Everybody wants to play at the highest level, and I want that too. However, with a degree in business and marketing, I’ll still be able to enjoy the game as a sports agent. 

If given the opportunity to play for your team, I’ll bring the same work ethic, need to contribute, and “team is everything“ attitude to your locker room. I love football, and I continue to dedicate my body to the game. I hope you’ll follow my journey, and consider me for your team. Thank you!