James Perkins '24 Recruiting Profile

Football has always been a sport that I love and have a passion for. It is one of my hobbies, and it is something that I have great interest in. No matter what activity that relates to football, such as film, practice, games, weightlifting, and watching the NFL, I want to learn more about it, and get better at it. I could do one or more of these activities and lose all concept of time. A dream I have is making it to the NFL, and that's why football has filled my life and is my greatest interest. 

It takes an enormous amount of effort to become a professional athlete. In order to do that, you must train for it. Every day, I am either in the gym working out, doing speed drills on the football field, or working on agility skills and running routes. Working out helps me let out some anger, and it is so peaceful if you listen to music, and sometimes, I get lost in the motions of it. Each day, you should work out different muscles in your body. For instance, one day I work on the chest, then legs, shoulders and traps, back, and finally arms. Within each exercise, I add an auxiliary for abs. Other days you need to go to the football field and work on your position. For me, I play tight end, so I work on pass-catching routes, speed training, and blocking drills. Training is a big part of a journey to a professional sport.

In my opinion, the best part of football is when you practice and play games. The sounds, smells, and feelings of game day give me so much energy. The sounds of helmets crashing together, the smell of the turf and victory, and the feeling of a tackle all are so satisfying, I get lost in the moments because of the joy and the inner peace it brings me. Being on a football team also builds friendships. My team is my family, and we all go to war together on Friday nights, or any other night. We all train together in practice, and in the weightroom and in life.

I always want to improve my skills when playing football. A huge part of how to get better is watching film on yourself and fixing mistakes you have made during the previous game. I enjoy watching films on my games, to get better, to find my errors, and I get satisfaction in fixing them at practice. A different type of film I watch is the NFL. Every Sunday, I am on my couch, like a tired dog, watching the games and learning new moves to use on my own. I focused on my position and was captivated to watch them. Before I realize it, several hours have passed, day turns to night, and it feels like I just started watching. These weekend moments of watching film and the NFL is what I turn to improve my football IQ.

For me, football is my world, I constantly think about it, and try to get better. I love the camaraderie and family atmosphere that my teammates and I have created. Winning brings me joy like nothing else, and my primary focus is what more I can do to help get that W. I will continue to chase my dream to the NFL by diligently working on all these aspects of the game, and hopefully someday my dreams will become a reality.