Antwine Perez
 Perez makes a tackle against Navy's Darius Staten in 2010 | |
| No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 10, 1988 Westville Grove, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Camden (NJ) Woodrow Wilson |
| College: | USC (2006) Maryland (2008–2010) |
Antwine Perez (born April 10, 1988) is a former American college football player. He played as a free safety for the University of Maryland Terrapins. He played one season for the University of Southern California Trojans, before transferring. He was one of the most sought-after college recruits in the nation and received scholarship offers from over 40 schools.
Early life
[edit]He was born on April 10, 1988[1] in the Westville Grove area of Westville, New Jersey, to parents Phyllis and Lewis Perez. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, where he played high school football as a quarterback and defensive back. As a junior, he recorded 1,763 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, ten rushing touchdowns, 58 tackles, seven interceptions, and four forced fumbles. As a senior in 2005, he recorded 82 tackles, 10 deflections, seven interceptions, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.[2]
He was named a Parade All-American, USA Today first-team All-American, EA Sports first-team All-American,[3] SuperPrep All-American, PrepStar All-American, all-conference quarterback, all-conference defensive back, and first-team all-state player. Perez was honored as The Philadelphia Inquirer South Jersey Defensive Most Valuable Player, SuperPrep All-Northeast Defensive MVP, PrepStar All-Eastern, and Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year. He was named to the SuperPrep Elite 50, PrepStar Dream Team, and the ESPN 150.[2]
Perez was one of the most highly recruited players in the nation, and received in excess of forty scholarship offers.[4] Scout.com rated him as a five-star prospect and fifth-ranked defensive back, while Rivals.com rated him as a four-star prospect and the second-ranked defensive back.[5][6] At least 47 programs offered Perez, including USC, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Tennessee.[7]
College career
[edit]Perez graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at the University of Southern California. As a true freshman in 2006, he saw action in seven games, primarily in a special teams role. Perez made brief appearances as a reserve free safety against Arkansas, Stanford, and Oregon.[2] Perez decided to transfer to the University of Maryland with the hope of earning more playing time and to be closer to home.[8] He was required by NCAA transfer rules to sit out for one season.[2]
In 2008, he saw action in all 13 games including two starts as a free safety. He also served in a special teams role[2] and at linebacker due to the injury of Adrian Moten, the back-up for Moise Fokou.[9] He made his first career start in the upset win against California, where he replaced injured starter Terrell Skinner and recorded three tackles.[2]
CBS Sports considers him the eighth-ranked free safety prospect for the 2011 NFL draft,[10] while College Football News projected him as a possible fourth round selection if he had chosen to enter the 2010 NFL draft.[11]
During the 2010 season against Duke, Perez intercepted one pass and delivered a hard hit to break up another critical pass late in the game, which preserved a Maryland victory, 21–16.[12] At Boston College, Perez had two interceptions and forced a fumble to help Maryland to a 24–21 win. For his performance, he was named the Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Antwine Perez, Maryland, CBS Sports, retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Player Bio: Antwine Perez Archived March 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ Maryland adds Southern Cal transfer, two others, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 26, 2007.
- ^ Antwine Perez surpasses 40-scholarship mark, Rivals.com, May 3, 2005.
- ^ Antwine Perez Profile, Scout.com, retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ Antwine Perez Profile, Rivals.com, retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ 47 Offers Already Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, Scout.com, June 16, 2005.
- ^ USC football transfers seek second chance[permanent dead link], Daily Trojan, September 17, 2008.
- ^ Perez at Linebacker, The Washington Post, October 2, 2008.
- ^ 2011 Draft Prospects, CBS Sports, retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ 2010 NFL Draft Position Rankings: The Possible Fourth Rounders Archived 2009-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, College Football News, April 16, 2009.
- ^ Terrapins Win in ACC Opener Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Scout.com, October 3, 2010.
- ^ Antwine Perez of Maryland Named the Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week[permanent dead link], Jim Thorpe Association, October 27, 2010.
