2018 NFL Draft: Exclusive Interview with Texas A&M-Commerce QB Luis Perez

Luis Perez has been breaking records left and right since he transferred to Texas A&M-Commerce. And now, people are starting to take notice of it.

The quarterback threw for 3,326 passing yards and 32 touchdowns last season. His performance got him nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is given to the best Division II player of the year. With a career year behind him, he is looking forward to building upon that and getting picked in the NFL Draft.

cover32 sat down with Perez and discussed his collegiate career and his road to the pros.

Coming from a small school, you don’t receive a lot of attention that some of the quarterbacks in this class do. What makes you stand out from the rest of the pack?

Perez: They won’t know what’s coming until they meet me. I feel like all of my strengths are going to come off the field as far as being a leader. Being able to relate to a lot of guys, being able to talk to certain people in certain ways so they can relate to me, all that good stuff. I feel that that’s most important.

From what I’ve read, it seems like you have an accomplished career as a bowler. Is that correct?

Perez: Yes. (laughs)

Can you tell us a bit more about where that love came from?

Perez: It actually started on, I want to say, on my dad’s 40th birthday. We just went to the bowling alley one day, to be honest. We went bowling – it was the first time I’d ever been – I just fell in love with it. I enjoyed bowling, and I did pretty well, too. That’s what kinda started it.

Is that something that you still like to do to spend time off the field to this day?

Perez: That’s more of a hobby now. It’s just more recreational. It’s kinda my off time during the summer. I’ll go a couple times a month, but that’s about it right now.

What else do you like to do off the field?

Perez: I’m married, so I hang out with my wife, watch a movie, watch a series on Netflix. I don’t do too much. I don’t party, or anything like that.

You were an All-American last season, breaking several school records in the process. What’s your plan to make sure you build off of that season?

Perez: Making sure myself and the team is ready for a national championship. That’s always the No. 1 goal heading into the season: winning every game and executing the game plan the coaches give me. (I’ve been doing) some workouts, conditioning, and all that kind of stuff. It’s just gonna prepare us to do all of that.

When did you realize that you could play at an NFL level?

Perez: To be honest, the NFL was kind of a long shot to me. It was more just listening to coaching, because I didn’t play high school football. To me, it was always trying to play catch up. Trying to learn defenses, learning fronts, routes, timing, all that kind of stuff. So, to me, the most important thing was just learning. I felt that I had to learn that at such a fast pace that I just kept that going throughout my career.

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What do you think you need to work on the most as you get closer to preparing for entering the NFL?

Perez: I would say working under center, of course. I played under center at junior college a little bit, but that’s really one thing that I’ve taken pride in this summer. You know, emphasizing the understanding of drops, timing, this drop with this route, all that good stuff.

A lot of quarterbacks nowadays have to work on that because there are so many teams that run spread offenses.

Perez: Yes, absolutely. That’s the one thing that I’m sure I’ve been working on the most.

What team did you root for growing up?

Perez: I’m from San Diego, California, so the Chargers, that’s my team right there.

What did you think about the team’s move to Los Angeles?

Perez: Aw, man. I was pretty heartbroken, not gonna lie. Growing up, I always wanted to play for the San Diego Chargers – playing for the hometown – but I guess that won’t happen anymore.

Do you still root for them, or did you find another team to cheer for?

Perez: I was sad, I was disappointed. So, what I told myself was, “I’m gonna follow the Chargers until, like, (Philip) Rivers, Antonio Gates – the guys I grew up watching – until those guys retire”. I’ll probably make a decision for there and see what I do. I’m a huge Aaron Rodgers fan, so I do root for the Packers, too.

Yeah, I’m a Bears guy, so I think we’ve got a bit of a disagreement there.

Perez: Oof. (laughs)

Yeah, Aaron Rodgers has been crushing us for years, it sucks.

Perez: Must be rough being in that division.

For sure.

Which player or players do you model your game after?

Perez: It’d be two, really. As far as Aaron Rodgers – the way the ball comes out, and just the way he moves in the pocket: his pocket presence amazes me. I watch so much tape on that: how he sets up his blocks, all that kind of stuff, just by his movements in the pocket. So, for sure, Aaron Rodgers is one. And then, Drew Brees is number two, for me.

I got to work out with him this past summer about 10 times. The way he approaches every single day impresses me. (He) always has a notebook next to him. He can be cracking jokes with me on the side before we start our workout. But as soon as the workout starts, there’s a switch that goes off in his head, and boom, it’s time to work. I was really amazed by the way he did that.

What type of things did he teach you when you were working with him?

Perez: He didn’t really teach me much, it was more of what I caught. It was kinda tough to ask him questions. I didn’t want to be that guy just asking him questions in the middle of his workout. But just the things I saw, (like) that switch as far as, when the workout starts, it’s go time. No talking, nobody talks to him. Nobody even attempts to talk to him. And then, how he relates to his players. Coby Fleener was there, (Darren) Sproles, in the huddle, how they’d come in. He demands the offense. He tells them why they’re running the route this way, he’s not just telling them the route. Just explaining. He can relate to each player differently, and it really amazed me how he did that.

What goals do you have entering this next season?

Perez: Number one is a national championship, of course. We were one point away from having an undefeated regular season last year, but we fell short. So, our goal is a national championship. It can be, we can lose games in the regular season. As long as we win in the national championship, that’s the goal.

Let’s say I’m a general manager in the NFL. What would I be getting if I drafted you?

Perez: You’re gonna get the hardest worker in the program: one that’s hungry, that has a very high ceiling. (I) didn’t play high school football, but I’m hungry to be the best in the NFL. Me not playing high school ball just motivated me, just have that chip on my shoulder, kinda like Brady did, and working every single day. I’m going to be the first one there and the last one to leave, and I promise you I’ll get you a title.

– Jacob Infante is the Social Media Director for cover32. He can be followed on Twitter @jacobinfante24.

– You can follow Luis on Twitter at @PerezLuisQB.

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