AWC has speed, size, numbers on D-Line

AWC has speed, size, numbers on D-Line   By Brian Fogg @foggyskies  YUMA SUN 

Arizona Western defensive end Tevita Okuvaka (27) dives to tackle running back John Oliver during the Matadors’ intra-squad scrimmage Saturday at AWC.

    Arizona Western is going to be able to throw speed, size and numbers at teams with its defensive front.   There is a caveat. The Matadors are also young up front with a handful of freshmen looking to find some playing time.

“Due to injuries it’s good to have that depth,” AWC defensive line coach Tony Mitchell said. “There’s not a lot of drop off between any of these guys.”

  Fortunately for AWC, what appears to be the starting lineup for the season opener on August 24 vs. New Mexico Military offers some experience.

The team will be led by Matthew James (6-5, 320) at nose guard as an old-school run stopper.

“I told the guys that the defense starts on the inside out,” Mitchell said. “If our nose guard controls the A gap, then we have the ability to do a whole lot more.”

     The 3 technique (outside the guard’s shoulder) will be Kinsman Trammell (6-4, 250), Dakari Bickham (6-3, 280) is the strong side defensive end, and Tevita Otuvaka (6-3, 225) is the weak side defensive end. 

   “It’s tough when you don’t have a whole lot of guys coming back, however Tevita, Kinsman and Dakari are all returning,” Mitchell said. “They know the sets and they know the schemes. They can be a little bit faster, as opposed to the other guys that may be thinking a little bit and trying to understand the scheme.”

    Bickham and Otuvaka were on the roster a season ago, but they didn’t get a lot of playing time behind Azur Kamara and Tyrik Jones. After a year of learning the schemes and practicing against those two, the pair is ready to try and do the same thing.

    “It has gotten a lot better since last year,” Bickham said. “The transition after being behind Azur (Kamara) and Tyrik (Jones) got better, because we learned a lot from both of them. It’s just getting us better.”

    The second wave starts with Mississippi Delta transfer Marcus Bragg (6-6, 255) as a weak side end, Matt Hatchie (6-3, 265) in the 3 technique, Corey Brown at nose guard (6-3, 315), and Lazarus Williams as a strong side end.

    Charles Johnson (6-3, 330) is also in that group, but he has been battling a knee injury.

     “What we’ve done is give an ample amount of reps and opportunities and these are the four guys right now,” Mitchell said. “August 24 those four may not necessarily be the next four.”

    Pittsburgh transfer Sean Gilbert Jr. (6-1, 255) and 2017 Yuma Catholic graduate and South Dakota State transfer Daniel Callender will also be in the mix to get some playing time.

    “Callender got here late, so we’re trying to get him ready,” Mitchell said. “In terms of his physical gifts and ability, if he’s not the top guy, there’s no one that would be over him. He’s really a thin and wiry guy. He doesn’t mind to mix it up. He loves to hit somebody.”

Solidity on the depth chart could be offered on Thursday as the team will see its first contact drills against someone that isn’t on the same team as the Matadors will scrimmage Mesa. 

“It’s going to be fun,” Bickham said. “We can’t wait for it. We’ve been eager to hit. We haven’t really hit all season.”    

NEW PRE-SEASON NJCAA FOOTBALL POLL -

ARIZONA WESTERN MATADORS FOOTBALL  RANKED #3 IN NEW PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL POLL!

AWC ballhawk says two trips in the works

AWC ballhawk says two trips in the works

Brad Hoiseth • JCGridiron.com

@BradHoiseth

Bryce Beekman led AWC with 7 interceptions in 2017.

One of the top safeties from the Western States Football League is preparing for the
season and starting to look at life after Yuma. He says new schools have been calling
and has a couple of trips in the works.

JCGridiron.com caught up with Arizona Western safety  Bryce Beekman  on Friday
to discuss the latest with his recruitment. He told us a few new schools are looking
and a couple of trips could be in the works. Beekman had a solid freshman campaign
in Yuma in 2017, finishing with 26 tackles and leading the team with seven
interceptions. He was rewarded with First Team All-WSFL status, which had the
recruiters coming in droves.  

Beekman led the Matadors with seven interceptions in 2017. Beekman quickly picked
up offers from Kansas State, Kansas, Washington State, Western Illinois, Syracuse,
Southern Mississippi and Louisiana-Lafayette following the season and has been
working hard ever since to get himself out of Yumaby December.

He says a handful of others have started to surface. “Nebraska, Mississippi State and
ASU have been text messaging,” Beekman said. “They are telling me they are
getting ready for the season and making contact with me.”

Beekman (6’4, 190) graduated from Scotlandville Magnet High School in Louisiana
in 2016 and had interest from Southern Miss, Southern and Alcorn State before
failing to qualify academically. Now ready to leave in December, he says he’s
been working hard to improve his game on the field.

“I’ve been working on my technique so I can take my game to the next level,” Beekman
said. “My dream school growing up was Miami but it doesn’t really matter to me.”
Beekman says he has a couple of trips that could happen during the season
.
“I’m supposed to go to Washington State for the weekend of October 21,”
Beekman said. “Then I am supposed to go to Kansas State when they play Texas
Tech (Nov 17).”

Beekman and the Matadors started practice this week with temperatures soaring over
110 degrees during the day. The team practices later in the day to avoid the hottest
part of the day and he says they look solid so far.

“It’s looking good,” Beekman said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, but they’ve
got talent.”

Beekman and the Matadors open the season ranked No. 3 in the JCGridiron.com
Dirty 30 Preseason Rankings. They open up at home against New Mexico Military
Institute on August 24.

Matadors experienced on O-Line

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett  August 14, 2018   YUMA SUN

Desmond Bland and Julien Clark block Teveita Otuvika and Lazirus Williams during a recent inter-squad scrimmage

Whenever Tom Minnick has discussed the Arizona Western offense throughout camp, he’s emphasized the unit’s youth and inexperience.

The Matadors are likely to start a true freshman under center and possibly at all four receiver/tight end spots, as well as a first-year running back in the backfield.

There is an area on offense where the team does have some veterans, though — the line.

Sophomore guards Dontae Powell (6-6, 320) and Ted Hessing (6-6, 315) are returning starters, and were part of an offensive line last year that paved the way to 272 rushing yards per game for AWC — which ranked sixth-best in the NJCAA.

Even more noteworthy is the return of offensive tackle Desmond Bland (6-3, 290), who was a 2016 NJCAA First Team All-American but took last year off due in part to a shoulder injury.

Bland, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports, is verbally committed to the University of Nebraska; Powell, an All-WSFL Second Team selection last year, reportedly boasts offers from Washington State and Louisville.

Minnick believes Bland is “probably the best (junior-college) lineman” in the country.

“Just because he’s so athletic,” Minnick said. “The kid is amazing athletically.”

And he’s versatile, enough so that the Matadors considered using him not at tackle — his 2016 position — but at center this year.

“He can really play anything he wants,” Minnick said. “Desmond has long arms; he’d be a small tackle (at the next level), but he rolls his hips up real nice and has great feet.”

Despite Minnick believing Bland’s future is likely at guard or center, the Matadors’ plan is to leave him at left tackle entering the season.

That’s a vote of confidence to whom AWC plans to use at center, true freshman Tristian Rael (6-3, 280) out of Chandler High School. The Matadors’ offense was plagued by several poor shotgun snaps during Saturday night’s intra-squad scrimmage, but Minnick noted that it was the backup centers, not Rael, who were having issues.

At right tackle, Minnick said there’s a currently a battle for the starting spot between freshman Julian Clark (6-5, 285) and redshirt sophomore Viliamu McMoore (6-5, 290), a transfer from Utah State who saw action in three games along the offensive line for the Aggies last year.

Minnick entered camp relatively optimistic about the offensive line, and that optimism appears to be growing.

“Tonight we looked a little bit better than we have,” Minnick said following Monday’s practice. “We’ve had some injuries up front, but a couple of them came back. We’ve got key backups back who are guys who could (contend for starting spots) if healthy, so that helps us out.”

Included in that group is redshirt sophomore guard Richard Merritt (6-5, 365), a transfer from Maryland.

One expected contributor on the line that the team still is without is redshirt sophomore tackle Desi Savea (6-7, 315), who Minnick said “probably won’t be ready for a while” due to an injury.

AWC has big shoes to fill at RB

AWC has big shoes to fill at RB

Arizona Western sophomore running back Kendon Walker evades a defender during Tuesday night’s practice at AWC. Walker, who played receiver for the Matadors last year, is competing for the starting running back spot this year.

AWC has traditionally had what coach Tom Minnick likes to refer to as a “dude” at running back over the years. From Reggie Bullock (2009-10) to Damien Williams (2010-11) to Darrell Monroe (2014-15) to Greg Bell (2016-17), there has usually always been a next-level talent in the Matadors’ backfield to give the ball to.
This year, Minnick is unsure if he has such a “dude.”
“We just don’t know, it’s unproven right now,” Minnick said Saturday night after an intra-squad scrimmage. “We’ll just try to weave through it and see how everything plays out. It remains to be seen right now.”
Two players have emerged as the primary ball carriers so far in camp: sophomore Kendon Walker (5-10, 170) and freshman John Oliver (5-8, 175).
Walker, who’s in line to be the starter as of right now, is an interesting story given his lack of experience at the position. At Chandler High School — where he won a 6A state championship as a senior in 2016 — Walker played only on defense, at safety. Then as a freshman at AWC last year, he moved to offense, but as a receiver.
“I always had this love for any offensive position, whether it was receiver or running back,” Walker said. “We had Greg Bell playing running back last year, so I said I’ll play slot.”
Bell, who’s now at the University of Nebraska, was a two-time NJCAA First Team All-American with the Matadors, rushing for 1,217 yards last year and 1,187 yards the year before that.
Walker, meanwhile, failed to earn much time at receiver last year, catching just one pass for four yards on the season.
Walker’s move to running back this year was a matter of team needs.
AWC’s top two running backs last year — Bell and Dejhion Parrish (618 yards, 8 TDs) — were both sophomores. Third-stringer Ali Kelley (250 yards, 2 TDs) was a freshman, and showed enough promise that he figured to entire 2018 entrenched as the Matadors’ featured back. But he was dismissed from the team in the spring.
On the recruiting trail, meanwhile, Minnick missed out on several sought-after running backs — East Mississippi and Fort Scott both got ones that he “wanted bad,” and he was also on a Florida transfer that ultimately didn’t get into AWC.
All of that coupled with AWC’s depth at receiver — a position Minnick’s staff recruited very well — led to Walker’s move to the backfield.
“I did (embrace it),” Walker said. “It was a new thing. I’m just trying to show Division I coaches I can play whatever.”
“He’s been doing well,” Minnick said. “At the beginning he was struggling a bit with pass protection, but he’s a thick kid, and he’s a track kid.”   
So too is Oliver, who’s out of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.“(Walker and Oliver) are both like kids we’ve had in the past, they can get out in the open and can score,” Minnick said. “The key is getting them in space and you’re not going to touch them.”
On Saturday, Walker provided one of the few offensive highlights for the Matadors in their intra-squad scrimmage when he busted an inside run 50-plus yards for a touchdown.     Walker said the biggest adjustment has been getting used to the physicality of playing running back.
“You can’t go in there with a receiver mentality that nobody’s going to hit you,” he said. “You’ve got to get in there, you’ve got to block defensive ends, defensive tackles, and run the ball and get hit by anybody..”
Also competing for time at running back — among others — is sophomore Caleeb Roberson (6-1, 180), a transfer from Georgia who opened camp at quarterback, but was used only at running back during Saturday night’s scrimmage.

AWC football notebook: intra-squad scrimmage

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett
 
• Aug 11, 2018

The Matadors scrimmaged for about 90 minutes Saturday night, and the result was the same as past preseason intra-squad scrimmages over the years — the defense dominated.

“I just posted something on Twitter (saying that) in my 11 years at AWC, the defense is 11-0 (in first scrimmages),” coach Tom Minnick said. “It’s always that way. Even (though) we’ve got some returners on the offensive line, when you blitz all the time and you’re putting pressure on the quarterback early in the season,” the offense will struggle.

• AWC’s offense scored two touchdowns, both on long runs — one by sophomore running back Kendon Walker midway through, and one by freshman running back Alphonzo Graham on the scrimmage’s final play.

• AWC’s defense also scored twice, though one was simply a recovered fumble in the end zone by defensive end Lazarus Williams. The other was a pick-six by cornerback Jaylen Moore, who stepped in front of a Jacquez Carter pass.

• Carter and fellow freshman El Julian Jordan split the first-team reps at quarterback, with Carter going first in the rotation. Minnick said that as of right now, “it’s going to be (the) two of them” at quarterback, as they’re the leaders for the starting job but neither has earned it outright.

• One problem for the offense was the inability to complete a shotgun snap. Two of the offense’s five turnovers on the night were the result of a snap that went over the quarterback’s head, and there was a third such snap that the offense was able to recover.

JCGridiron.com Ranks AWC #3 in JUCO Pre-season Poll

Another team that has sky-high potential is Arizona Western (3), who starts the season at No. 3 but received a ton of consideration for the top spot. The Matadors are stacked with D1 bounce backs, with over a dozen guys transferring into the program from such places as West Virginia, Pitt, Kentucky, Michigan, Washington State and Penn State. They even landed one of the top linebackers from the California ranks in the past few weeks, reaching across state lines for added talent on the defensive side of the ball. The only problem to start the season is a lack of experience under center. Their only freshman from a year ago signed at Oregon State during the offseason, leaving a bit of a hole at an important position. Arizona Western opens the season on August 24 at home against New Mexico

PRE-SEASON JUCO FOOTBALL POLL RANKS AWC #7 (GridironRR.com)

MATADOR FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY: Damien Williams

MATADOR FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY: 

Damien Williams, former AWC running back, now
with Kansas City Chiefs

MATADORS FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY: GREG BELL

MATADORS FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY:

Now with Nebraska - 

MATADORS FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY: SALIOU DIALLO

MATADOR FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY:   

Diallo was recruited from Arizona Western College (Yuma, AZ) class of 2018.
He committed to Texas A&M on 12/23/2017. He was recruited by Terry Price .

Matadors young but athletic at QB position

Matadors young but athletic at QB position

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett
 
• Aug 4, 2018 YUMA SUN

Arizona Western freshman QB El Julian Jordan throws a pass during practice Wednesday at AWC. Jordan is one of five quarterbacks on the Matadors’ roster heading into the 2018 season. Though the Matadors don’t plan on declaring a starter any time soon, Jordan and fellow freshman Jacquez Carter have established themselves as the leaders early on.   RANDY HOEF

A year ago, Arizona Western was loaded at the quarterback position.

The Matadors had two signal callers — redshirt sophomore Bryce Perkins and true freshman Jack Colletto — who were Division I-caliber. Perkins, a transfer from Arizona State, won the starting job, and played well enough to garner a scholarship from Virginia. Colletto was used in certain packages, and the hope was that he’d return as the Matadors’ starter in 2018.

But Colletto signed with Oregon State in February, leaving AWC’s 2018 starting job wide open.

The group vying for that job consists of three true freshmen, one Division I transfer who was listed as a wide receiver at Georgia, and just one returner from last year’s Matadors (Bailey Arvizo of Cibola).

“I think what it comes down to is going to be the guy who makes the least mistakes,” Minnick said Friday after AWC’s third official practice of the season.

Through the first half-week of practice, Minnick said two players — freshmen El Julian Jordan and Jacquez Carter — have established themselves as the leaders in the quarterback race, though he acknowledged that the situation remains fluid with the team in no rush to name a starter with the season opener still 19 days away.

Jordan (6-3, 230) comes to Yuma from Detroit Central High School in Michigan, where he was rated as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports. Jordan boasted offers from several Mid-American Conference programs, and verbally committed to Western Michigan last year, but wound up having to go the junior-college route after not qualifying academically.

As a high school senior, Jordan threw for 2,873 yards and 27 touchdowns, to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns.

Carter (6-2, 180), meanwhile, is a one-time University of Massachusetts commit out of Naples, Fla., and finds himself at AWC for a different reason than Jordan. UMass wanted Carter to play cornerback, despite the fact that he never played on the defensive side of the ball in high school. That was a move Carter was unwilling to make, so he re-opened his recruitment and eventually settled on AWC — with the hope of parlaying a successful junior-college season into a Division I quarterback offer.

The other newcomers at quarterback are redshirt sophomore Caleeb Roberson (6-1, 180), the Georgia transfer, and true freshman David McCullum (6-1, 180), out of Waterford, Mich. Those two are dual-threats, as is Carter.

“Three of them are pretty close in what they do; (Carter, Roberson and McCullum) can run,” Minnick said. “(Jordan) can throw it; he reminds me of (former AWC quarterback Emmanuel) Gant — he can throw the ball and he can make all the throws, we’ve just got to make sure he’s accurate.

“Those four kids are dynamic enough that you can get some stuff done.”

Carter, who ran for 1,021 yards and 17 touchdowns as a high school senior, in particular, has turned heads with his playmaking ability.

“Jacquez made a run (Friday night in practice) that you’re going, ‘Wow, go ahead and rush us and if he finds a crease, goodbye,’” Minnick said. “It’s hard to game plan for a kid that can run, so that helps us out, especially when our running back situation is kind of iffy right now.”

As for the plan for the quarterbacks’ roles, Minnick said it’s likely that he will redshirt or grayshirt one, though which one is still to be determined.

Roberson, Minnick said, is likely to play somewhere: “I’ve got him on some special teams already; he’s got to be on the field because he’s such a dynamic athlete.”

And it’s possible that multiple quarterbacks — whether it’s Jordan and Carter, or some other combination — are part of the game plan, with their strengths utilized in different packages as was the case with Perkins and Colletto last year.

Right now, it’s all about helping the group adjust to the college game.

“You saw us out there speeding stuff up, trying to get in their mind and yelling at them and this and that so their minds are flustered, because if they can handle that, they can handle game situations,” Minnick said. “If they can’t handle that, then you know you’ve got to go with somebody else.

“And they’ve been doing a pretty good job. They get frustrated every once in a while, but you know, they’re young. To have a freshman quarterback, it’s tough.”

Matadors deep at WR position

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett
 
• Aug 6, 2018  YUMA SUN   
• 
  

AWC wide receivers Leshown Potts (8) and DeAndre Wallace (#1   

Last year, Arizona Western wasn’t exactly deep at the receiver position.

Only two players on the team had more than 30 catches, and one was a tight end. Only three others had at least 15 catches, and one was a running back. Outside of Jaron Woodyard (36 rec., 522 yards), who’s now at Nebraska, the Matadors didn’t have a whole lot of firepower on the outside or in the slot.

This year, things look a lot different.

Not one receiver who had a meaningful role a year ago is back, and the overhaul is for the better, with Tom Minnick saying this year’s receiving corps just may be the best he’s had in 11 years as the Matadors’ coach.

“Altogether we’ve got about eight or nine of them that are really pretty good,” Minnick said. “It’s still early, but they’ve got some skill, they do have some skill, which is funny for us because usually have the tailback that’s really good.”

Indeed, the most notable names on AWC’s offense have usually been found in the backfield — three straight years the Matadors have had a 1,000-yard rusher, but it’s been since Cody Hollister (68 rec., 922 yards) in 2013 that the Matadors have had a receiver with at least 50 catches or 700 yards.

The theme amongst this year’s group of receivers is youth. Aside from redshirt sophomores Nathan Johnson (5-11, 190), a transfer from Michigan, and Jacquez Adams (5-11, 170), a transfer from West Virginia, it’s basically nothing but true freshmen.

“So running routes they’re raw, using tricks they’re raw, but skill-wise catching the ball and making some things happen, they’re doing a pretty good job,” Minnick said. “And they’re fast. They’ve gotten behind our corners a ton this camp already, which is hard to do.”

The fastest of the bunch is freshman Troy’Von Johnson (5-9, 155), who reminds Minnick of 2011 AWC receiver DJ Johnson — arguably the best AWC’s had at the position in Minnick’s tenure.

“He’s only 150 pounds but he can fly and he can make you miss, which is the same thing DJ could do,” Minnick said. “Those little kids like that, they don’t get hit because the fact they move so fast and they use their body to shield them from getting lit up.”

Right now, Johnson is slated to start at AWC’s slot receiver position.

Also currently running with the first team are freshmen Leshaun Potts (6-4, 205) at ‘X’ and Dallas Daniels (6-1, 180) at ‘Z,’ though Nathan Johnson — the Michigan transfer — is in the mix at ‘Z’ as well.

“If he gets out of the doghouse he’s really, really good,” Minnick said of Nathan Johnson. “I think he could be the best out of them all, but he’s got to get out of the doghouse all the time.”

Like Potts, freshmen DeAndre Wallace (6-5, 200) and Johnny King Jr. (6-6, 200) possess great size for a receiver.

“We’ve got three tall receivers, which we haven’t had in the past, who have done pretty good,” Minnick said. “Potts (in particular) is a big and physical kid, so that gives us another dimension.”

The outlook at tight end is less promising, with Minnick saying the Matadors “only have one right now we can count on,” that being freshman Bryce Parker (6-4, 220).

Stopping the aerial attack

Stopping the aerial attack

• By BRIAN FOGG @foggyskies
 
• Aug 8, 2018  YUMA SUN
• 
  

AWC defensive backs Bryce Beekman (11) and Elijah Blades

The Arizona Western football team has plenty of new and young faces this season, but one spot where there are some recognizable names is in the secondary.

With 17 players listed as defensive backs the Matadors will have some depth when it comes to defending the pass.

The team will be led by the two returning starters, Bryce Beekman and Elijah Blades, who will look to fill the roles left open by Kaleel Gaines and Luca Vartic in the secondary.Beekman finished with 26 tackles and seven interceptions in 2017, while Blades had 22 tackles and one pick. Beekman is still weighing some of his options for where he goes after AWC, but Blades is committed to Oregon.

“It’s our job to pull together with the new guys to show them what the route is and to show them how it was last year,” Blades said. “We’ll just continue to get better.”

Other returners include Willie Burns (6-3, 195) and DaQuirs Griffin (6-1, 185).

The Mats will also bring in a slew of transfers again starting with Tobias Gilliam (5-11, 190), who spent last season at Kentucky.

“He’s doing a real good job,” AWC defensive coordinator Jerry Dominguez said. “He’s been going with the ones and twos. He’s with the ones. I think he’ll fill in really good.”

Freshman Jhevon Hill (6-2, 180) was originally committed to the University of Arizona, but he switched to AWC after some academic issues as a late qualifier. He was a three-star recruit out of high school. Dominguez thinks that it’s possible Hill could only be here for one season.

Zaire Webb (5-11, 180), formerly of Washington State, and Jaylen Moore (5-11, 165), who redshirted last season, will also mix into the rotation.

The depth will allow AWC to use a variety of third-down packages through the season.

“He (Webb) was here for spring ball, Dominguez said. “He’s giving us some good experience, and he’s fighting for the starting position.”

“He (Moore) knows his stuff really well,” Dominguez said. “It now just comes down to executing for him. That will help us in our sub packages. We’re obviously going to be bring a lot of guys in on third down.

A big part of the adjustment for new players has to do with adjusting to the speed of the college game. In high school nearly every player on the roster was the best player on their team.

Both Beekman and Blades remember what the transition was like for them when they first showed up.

“We have to be ready for the first one, especially with these youngsters who are fresh out of high school,” Beekman said. “They don’t really know what the college game is like yet. In practice we’re trying to get them as close to the game as possible.”

“Both of us can say that coming out there is a transition than high school,” Blades said. “In college you see bigger and faster players.”

The Matadors will open the season on Friday, August 24 at home against New Mexico Military.

Intersquad Scrimmage Photo

Twitter Tweet:   8/ll/18

Grady Garrett‏ @gradygarrett  1m1 minute ago

SATURDAY / 8/11/2018 - Out at Arizona Western tonight for an intrasquad scrimmage. 13 days until the Matadors’ season opener

FORMER AWC QB - UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins is fast, very fast

MATADOR FOOTBALL ALUMNI TODAY: 

UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins is fast, very fast

ByJAMIE OAKES Aug 7, 7:26 AM

  

How fast is UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins? [Arizona Western Alumni 2017] Verifiable data tells the story.

UVA strength coach Shawn Griswold clocked Virginia’s starting quarterback at 22.2 miles per hour this summer.

“Yeah, I remember the day he texted me,” said Perkins of when Griswold let him know of his speed. “It was after one of the long circuit things we do. It was the last 75 yards and he told us to sprint. So, I just got out and competed. I didn’t know [at the time] that it was 22, but I felt pretty good after running.”It’s the fastest recorded time that Perkins has been clocked at using UVA’s GPS system for tracking speed of its players.

“In spring, with pads on, I ran 21-something. I don’t know if [22 m.p.h.] is my top speed, but it’s my top speed recorded.   For the sake of comparison, the NFL’s Next Gen Stats have ranked the top speeds of players with the ball in their hands in games for the 2017 season.

The fastest was Leonard Fournette of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who clocked in at 22.05 m.p.h as his peak speed on a 90-yard touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5.The next closest was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Godwin, who reached 21.68 in Week 9.

Any way you slice it, Perkins is fast. No, not Usain Bolt, 27.7 m.p.h. fast, but his elite football speed is verified.  “When I’m running, I don’t hear anything,” said Perkins. “It’s just like I see the touchdown, I see the goal line. I don’t even see the people on the sideline. I’m just running. My legs take me all the way.”

Chris Peace weighed on whether Perkins was faster than Olamide Zaccheaus at ACC Kickoff.   “I haven’t seen the two race yet,” said Peace of Zaccheaus and Perkins. “That’s hard, man. I’m going to have to give it to — If it’s 40 yards, I’m going to have to give it to Bryce. If it’s 20 yards, I’m going to have to give to ‘O.’ I’d definitely go with ‘O’ on the start though.”

On Friday, wide receivers coach Marques Hagans hinted that a race between Perkins and Zaccheaus may be in the near future.   We can only hope that VirginiaSportsTV is there and filming that one.