Tag: Jalen Perry

Potential Early Departures: Defense

With the onslaught of transfer portal entries in college football, it’s inevitable that Michigan will face some more departures this off-season. Four players have already announced their intentions to transfer, and two (Cade McNamara and Erick All to Iowa) have already found a landing spot. Quarterback Alan Bowman and tight end Louis Hansen are both headed for, ahem, greener pastures.

McNamara and All are both somewhat unique cases of players who played a lot but felt slighted in some way, but Bowman and Hansen are more typical cases of players buried on the depth chart who want to see some light at the end of the tunnel. This post explores several players in similar situations who may find better situations elsewhere.

You can find the version for the offensive side of the ball here (LINK).

DISCLAIMER: This post is speculative in nature and not intended to encourage/discourage any player from leaving Michigan’s program. The reality is that college football is now a lot like unrestricted free agency from year to year.

LB JOEY VELAZQUEZ
Why he should stay: Velazquez is a solid two-sport athlete who’s having a decent impact on the baseball field with Michigan’s baseball team. His playing time on the field has increased yearly from one game in 2020 to seven games in 2021 to eleven games so far in the 2022 season. He is a steady contributor on special teams and has made a career-high 6 tackles.
Why he might leave: Playing time has been difficult to find on defense, and he has never risen above third string on defense. He was immediately passed by freshman Jimmy Rolder this fall, and the commitment of Ernest Hausmann probably does not bode well for the staff’s faith in Velazquez contributing on defense in 2023. Velazquez only has one season of eligibility remaining, and he may want to go somewhere he can compete for a starting job, which is extremely unlikely in Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for more.

2022 Season Countdown: #45 Jalen Perry

Name: Jalen Perry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 187 lbs.
High school: Dacula (GA) Dacula
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #16
Last year: I ranked Perry #53 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He played in eight games and made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: 88

Perry was the #200 overall player in the 2019 class. He has bounced back and forth between cornerback and safety for the past couple seasons, and he’s currently listed at one pound lighter than he was as a recruit. He appears to lack the speed to be a major contributor at cornerback, and he’s not quite physical enough to be a factor at safety.

I expect Perry to once again be a backup. Whether he’s a cornerback or safety might depend on which way the wind is blowing or which position group stays the healthiest, but I’m not expecting a breakout season. However, he should see consistent snaps on special teams and could be an adequate veteran fill-in for the defensive backfield if someone gets injured.

Prediction: Backup defensive back, special teamer

2021 Season Countdown: #53 Jalen Perry

Name: Jalen Perry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Dacula (GA) Dacula
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #16
Last year: I ranked Perry #51 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He played in three games and made 1 tackle.
TTB Rating: 88

Perry had a rough introduction to college football in 2020. When Michigan’s corners were completely ineffective and getting abused against Michigan State, he was one of the items thrown against the wall to see what sticks – and he was promptly called for pass interference on the first play of his career:

Unfortunately, it got worse from there.

With no personal insight into the psyche of Jalen Perry, I have no idea how much that series of events in his college debut has affected him going forward. I thought he would be a pretty good college player, but he has yet to show that will be the case. He was never an athlete that had wow-level physical skills, so the weight room and his technique are going to be important.

Word out of spring camp was that Perry had moved to safety, which I think he can also play. He could be a serious option to play there in 2022, but right now the Wolverines have two players who are probably in their final year of college (Brad Hawkins, Daxton Hill). Perry would be fighting for backup reps with the likes of Makari Paige, R.J. Moten, and others to potentially replace Hawkins and Hill next year.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer

2020 Season Countdown: #51 Jalen Perry

Name: Jalen Perry
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Dacula (GA) Dacula
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Perry #66 and said he would be a backup cornerback (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 88

Perry came into the 2019 season with a decent shot at playing, or so I thought. He was the #201 player in the country at a position where Michigan needed a player or two to step up. Luckily, Michigan mostly avoided injury – after an early illness scare for Ambry Thomas – so Michigan’s backup corners weren’t tested much, outside of Vincent Gray.

Now Lavert Hill has graduated, and the #3 cornerback spot is wide open after Thomas and Gray. Perry has a chance, along with D.J. Turner II, Gemon Green, Darion Green-Warren, and others. Perry has the skills to compete, but the freshman practice hype was non-existent for him. It will be important for Michigan to not only get contributions from a third cornerback, but also to groom someone for 2021 after Ambry Thomas graduates. I expect Perry to be mired on the bench this season, but I do think his size and skill could present some healthy competition for other guys.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

Final TTB Ratings for 2019

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I know it’s a little bit late in the game, but back in the spring, I didn’t have time to review all the senior film for Michigan’s 2019 signees and give them updated TTB Ratings. I did that during the 2019 Season Countdown, so here are the final TTB Ratings for the class of 2019.

S Daxton Hill: 100
He’s the best safety in the class, though it’s an unimpressive safety class overall.

RB Zach Charbonnet: 83 90
As long as he can get/stay healthy, Charbonnet has the potential to be a high draft pick in the future.

DT Chris Hinton, Jr.: 90
He should be an early contributor with high long-term upside.

Hit the jump for more.