Meet the Rookies: Malcolm Perry

podcast network of your Miami Dolphins. We're gonna do that with interviews from people that know these players, the best coaches, family members. We wanted to get some testimonials on the newest Miami Dolphins and up first we start today with the Navy product, Malcolm Perry. We spoke to three coaches on the Navy staff who were more than willing to

tell us about this very special young man. I had the pleasure of conducting exclusive interviews with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ivan Jasper, run game coordinator and interior offensive line coach Ashley Ingram, and head coach ken Nia Mattalolo, as well as the man himself. Malcolm Perry. And that's where we'll start with Malcolm Perry and I'm thrilled to be joined now here on the Drive Time Podcast by the first ever Miami Dolphin draft pick out of the

Naval Academy. He is let's call him offensive Weapon, Malcolm Perry. Malcolm, thanks for jumping in, man, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Well, it's good to hear from you again. Man. We haven't spoken since the day you were drafted in the interview there, So what have you been up to in the meantime? You're working out, staying in shape, and

staying busy and staying active. Oh yeah, definitely. Um, that's pretty much all I'm doing now is working out, UM, staying in the playbook, and um doing a little fishing here in there. Fishing, that's that's a big theme with a lot of your teammates. I don't know if you've if you had a Chane has to catch up with those guys on zoom calls and stuff. But have you guys discussed any possible fishing meetups when we're allowed to do that stuff again? Yeah, for sure. There's been a

lot of talk about feasting, uh coming up here. When we're when we're able to, so looking forward to it. Yeah, it seems like that was maybe part of of of Chris Career and Brian flores a scouting notes was they gotta be FISHERMANX. I swear every single one of you guys mentioned your fishing. So we'll get more into stuff like that. The idea of this podcast, Malcolm is is to get to know Malcolm Perry the person a little bit better. So I want to just start in the

very beginning, if we can. You grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee. What was life like in Clarksville? Is a youth for you? It was good? Um, a lot of sports that sports is are big thing here in college Withoo Tennessee. Um. I grew with military parents, so um. I lived right outside of military base work camp, Kentucky. So um, A lot of military aspects to my lifestyle growing up as a kid. Um, even to this day, you see military aircraft flying over my house doing whatever doing they're doing

and stuff like that. So a lot of military influence and outdoors and sports was a big part of much older. So I'm curious because my forgive my ignorance here, but I always assumed that, you know, military kids hopped around a lot of army brats, right, Did that never happen for you? No, I never have. From me. So, I'm the youngest of six kids, so my older siblings moved around a lot. So I was born at the end of my parents career. So, um, I was lucky enough

to stay in one place in my whole life. Okay, that's that's good though, And I think that's a good segue into our next question because your parents were both you know, Army cadets, and you obviously with the Navy, and where I'm from, Malcolm, we are basically the middle of Washington State is split between Cougars and Huskies Washington and Washington State, and I have to imagine that's somewhat amplified with the service academies, even though there's probably much

more of a mutual respect there. I don't think we have that out here for Huskies and Cougars is probably more respectful for you guys. What was it like when you told your parents you wanted to play at Navy and go to Navy And was there some friendly trashed walk there? Uh? No, there was no friendly trash talk. A little bit on my dad's side. Um, I have to watch watch him a little bit close to my mom. But uh, they were all supportive of me going to the Naval Academy. Um, they were a big part of

the process and helping me choose that. But h I say, the biggest thing is the people that I grew up around, they're they're so tied into rooting for Army that I don't I don't really have a lot of I don't really talk to a lot of people going in the Army week um at the Naval Academy from back home because they're they're Army fans. So I'm good in my house with no my hometown during the week. Yes, the one week you guys kind of have to black all right,

we're not friends this week exactly. I love it so, but now that you're not playing ball there anymore, do you think maybe that that rivalry kind of heightens back up because like, you know, you have you have your it's your alma mater. Now it's their alma mater. Is it gonna be like all right, now it's time to

kind of house divided this thing. Um, it's still all it's still all Navy with me, So Um, I think I'm gonna be able to enjoy the robbery a little bit more now that I'm not you know, Dowt in focus trying to get ready for the game, so be able to enjoy it a little bit more. I have a living from more fun with it, um, and uh enjoy it and see the boys win. So it'll be fun definitely. And you mentioned that you played multiple sports or grew up playing sports in Clarksville. What were your

other best sports? Basketball and baseball. I played a lot of basketball growing up when I was little. Um basketball, I never really got into baseball. It's pretty much just basketball and football. But I made the transition to football pretty young and I kind of left basketball behind. But I was always down to play whatever my friends were playing outside. So I was curious to ask you because, you know, for most athletes, and I was once an athlete and back in my my day, so to speak.

And we always have this moment right where you realize the dream is over. And I'll just tell you a quick story that's kind of funny in my opinion. For my personal account, I played football from six to eighth grade and I enjoyed playing, but there was a moment early on my first practice where I knew that maybe

this sport it wasn't gonna be for me. We had this drill where they put out four cones like into a square and you would shuffle, shuffle, shuffle karaoke, come back around the other cone, and when you came back around the other cone, the other kid would run and smack you in the middle of that little corner. And the first time I got hit, Malcolm, I was like, all right, I'm I'm a basketball player. I'm a baseball player.

So the reason I asked you this, what was there a moment in your football career or growing up as a kid where you knew, yeah, I've got some special ability here to be a really good player in high school and maybe into college and even into the pros. Um. I can't pinpoint a specific moment, but uh, I just remember being able to, you know, not get tackled a live play with my friends. I think, um, that was kind of what build build my confidence up going into

the higher levels of football as a youth. So, um is being able to avoid getting tackled was was what I was good as a kid. You were probably everyone's least favorite person on the field with that game. What's it called tackle the guy with the ball? Whatever you call that game? Right? You played that, didn't you? Yeah? For sure? Did you ever get tackled? Uh? Yeah? Here and there? Yeah, that's good stuff. We've got Malcolm Perry

here on the Drivetime podcast. Malcolm, I want to borrow a question from one of my favorite podcasts, to Move the Sticks podcast, Daniel Jeremiah Bucky Brooks of NFL Media. They always like to ask young men like yourself about your greatest hardship and who is your biggest hero. Let's go ahead and start with your hero. Who is Malcolm Pero Malcolm Perry's hero? I'd have to say my father, UM. Just growing up as a kid looking up to him, how hard he worked, the sacrifices he made, and the

way he went about um facing challenges head on. Stuff like that. So I think that's what I'm model mind leadership after UM and the way I want to leave my family in the future. So I definitely have to say my father. Are they gonna come watch you as a pro? Is there going to be a big Malcolm Perry contingency at Dolphins games? Now? Yeah? For sure, as many as many as you can make. Yeah, hopefully we can get plenty of them out there this year and

twenty and beyond. So how about the question for the hardship, What was a big moment in your life that kind of some adversity you had to overcome. I definitely say the loss of my sister. I lost my sister. I want to say I was around eleven years old. Um. You know, we're a pretty big family of family of six kids, and she was the oldest. Sol Um. Losing her was kind of a big shock to my family.

It was kind of weird, seeing how it was my first experience with death, so um, seeing how the family reacted, my mother especially, Um, it was definitely a tough time for myself and my family for sure. What would you say that it taught you in terms of what you were as a person or as a character, Because I think that a lot of times we can take things like that, Malcolm, we can go one of two directions.

It looks like you took the positive direction. Was there something that you overall just took away from the experience or learn from it? I think, just like anybody else who loses, anybody's us valuing the time that you have with your family members while they're there and appreciating them and all the time you with him for sure. Absolutely well, I'm sorry to hear about your lost Malcolm. It's that's terrible.

It's uh glad. I'm glad that you guys were able to overcome that and move on and and live your lives for you know, for her. That's that's awesome to hear about. I want to make a tough transition here and get back into the football side of things, because you and I spoke a little bit off air, and you're wearing the Men of Ken shirt right now, and and what did you guys call coach Nia Mantalolo? Did I get that right? That's right, you got it. What

did you guys call him on campus? Because I we talked, I joked about it off air. It took me about two hundred tries to get it right. What did you guys call him? On the football field? We call him coach Ni and my just coach Um. He's he does a good job in knowing that his name is pretty hard to pronounce, so he doesn't really task people were saying the whole thing. He goes by coach Ni, and so he makes it easy on the guys. Yeah, I had a chance to meet him. We're gonna hear frohim

on this podcast here in just a second. He was I was inspired by him, Malcolm. He was. He was an awesome guy to talk to. What is what are some of the things that you took away from Coach Ni and my um? Just being consistent, I think UM and having a genuine care for the people that he leaves. I think he's probably the best that I've ever seen doing in caring for the people that he that he leads, and coaching guys and actually having true emotions and he pours his heart into the game and it was on

the field for sure. So he told me a story, Malcolm, about one time he was off campus during your guys off hours and which you guys don't get a lot of there at the Naval Academy because it's so orchestrated and so structured and and so business like. And he came back to campus expecting to see a ghost town, and it was for the most part, but then he saw you and a couple of your receivers out there running routes and he said that was when he realized

he had a special player on his hands. What I mean, did you ever have a chance to get some fun in college or was it always business all the time? We have fun for sure, I mean especially during the off season. Um. But during the season, um, there wasn't time to get out and relax and stuff like that. But during the offseason they do a good job at allowing us to get off and uh, I start feet

a little bit. So you think that really prepared you for the next level, because I mean a full time job now that you're a professional, it's gonna be you know, I'm sure like that amplified. Do you think that really prepared you for the next level? I sure hope. So I think you know the name of academy in itself, you can do a lot of tools with time management and stuff like that to be able to, you know, dill it in and take care of what you gotta

take care of before you have fun. So I hope I will be carries over and I definitely do my best to make that happen. Can you tell us what a typical day is like for a student there Navy, for a student athlete who has to go to practice and prepare and and lift weights and watch film. What was the typical day like for you there? Uh so I was probably I'm waking up at six or six thirty, depending on the day. UM, get out of bed, make your bed, make sure your room straight, um, and I'll

organized up to standard. Then you have morning quarters formation, so everybody goes out UM in front of their doors. UM, get information, accountability is taken, everybody makes sure everybody's there. UM, make sure your uniforms are straight. Go down to breakfast UM around seven seven fifteen. UM, go to class from seven five to around eleven, and you have lunch meetings. After lunch, do you have about thirty forty minutes of lunch. Go to meetings about twelve twelve fifteen. Then you're back

to class from one to three I believe. UM. Then after class to the tape room, UM, to the get ready for practice. Then you practice from i'd say four to six UM. After practice treatment UM, treatment to about seven. Then you're eating eating dinner. UM. You probably get done with your day around eight, and then you're studying, are doing whatever homework you have from about eight to ten.

And then add a eleven o'clock is tapped. So every night we have a piece of paper that we have to sign saying that we're on deck, we're in our rooms, um, and we're accounting for and then that process repeats itself throughout the whole week. When you got out of that structure, like for whatever, whether it was a break or now that you're you know, in your post college playing career, was it did you find yourself having like idle hands?

Were you like looking for something to do because it's so regimented and so you know, every single minute you're doing something. Yeah, it's pretty weird to not have somebody you know, I always worried about where you are, what you're doing, and stuff like that. So, um, it's nice for sure, but it doesn't make you make you always think that you have something to do. Absolutely, it's it's uh,

you know, idle hands in the Douvil's playground. So it's it's always for me, especially this time of you know, in this time of our society right now, it's good to stay busy. So that's that's a good schedule for you there at the academy. Before that, in high school, coming in, I mean, you had to have had at least some expectations of what the expectation was of you, but when you got there was a kind of like a shell shock or a culture shock of how much,

how much, how demanding it was. Yeah, for sure. So coming from my background with military kind of being there, um, I kind of expected for it to be a little easier than most guys. But UM, I don't think anything could prepare you for the culture shock that you get. Um. So I spent a year up in Rhode Island at the prep school for years, so um that's where I experienced most of the shell shock and the culture shock

and the the homesickness and stuff like that. And UM, I think you get over a pretty quick and you you develop a bond with the guys that dropped there with us tighter than than anything I've ever experienced. So um, I've met some of my best friends there, and yeah, that's a good point. You're got to go through it with someone else who kind of understands the struggle too, So that's definitely something to to rally around and bond around.

And I want to ask you this question, Malcolm, because each of the three coaches we spoke to Coach Nia Matalolo, coach Ingram and coach Jasper all mentioned your first ever varsity game, and I'm sure it didn't go as you had and as far as how you got onto the football field. But that's sports in general, right, it always goes not according to plan. But your coaches all told

me about it. They all referenced this kind of chaotic moment where they really were caught up in the buzz of the game when you were pulled out of the stands and onto the field because you were ill that week or had a stomach bug or something that kept you from being, you know, part of the active game day game plan to being an inactive quarterback up in the stands. But then they had a couple of injuries and all of a sudden, you're in the lineup. I

want to hear about that experience from your perspective. Ah. Yeah. So heading into week one my freshman year, um I was kind of on the edge of being the three and the four. We had two seniors who we're gonna be our one and two starting quarterbacks, so um I was kind of on the edge of being three in the four and then going into the last week, head into the game of practice, I got extremely sick. So um I had to sit out a day or two. UM, and kind of mispractice those two days and kind of

made myself before pretty much. And uh, I think that Friday, I played in the JV game at our stadium. Um, so that was my first experience of maybe football was playing in the j V game that Friday. And then the next day, um, that's Saturday. Um I was able to go to the tailgate UM with the rest of the guys who weren't playing that week and enjoy the pregame festivities. And then the team came in the stadium, watching warm up and everything, and the game just going on.

Sitting down were some of my friends. I think I was eating Twizzlers and uh just enjoying the game. And uh I saw our starting quarterback went down and they seemed pretty serious. So, um I knew that. Uh so I think, yeah, it was will Worth. He went in. He ended up being our starting quarterback for the rest of the season. But um, they we were up, you know, a considerable amount. You know, we had pretty much won the game. So um, they ran up in the stands.

One of the manager ran up in the stands. He's screaming my name and he's yelling for me, and I'm I'm I hear him, so I'm kind of scared, like what did I do? Um? And he tells me to come with him. So I walk down the stands, um through all the fans, get on the field, walk in the walk in the locker room and I'm in my I'm in a full uniform right now. Um. I get to locker room, I still don't know what's going on, and he tells me that they're going to get my

stuff and I'll be playing for this. I'll be dressing out for the second half. So at that point I didn't know. I didn't expect to get in the game, but um, a couple of plays later into the second half, they threw me in there and I got to play a little bit. So it was fun. So now, do you have to have Twizzlers for every game? Is that part of the ritual? Now? No? Not at the twizzlers are gone and that would like shut my body down to right, I probably couldn't even move, So good on

you for for having production with Twizzlers in your digestive system. There. So one more question for you about the about Navy they I just saw the other day that they're moving the Notre Dame Navy game to Annapolis this year. That's the first time ever. Right, Yeah, that's a pretty big deal. Yah, that's huge that I think that that will probably be um if if coronavirus was gone, that would definitely be the biggest game at Navy Marine Corpimora Stadium ever, for sure.

I think that would be the craziest environment um that stadium has ever seen. But um, that would be interesting to see, for sure. That's awesome to see. I love watching the Navy Army game every year, which we know by now you definitely made your mark on that game last time around with some records in that game. A couple of questions before I get you out of here, Malcolm, I want to know about more leisure activities, not eating twizzlers in the stands. What do you do whether it's

inside with like watching Netflix, playing video games? What's your leisure activity when you're inside and when you're outdoors out with your friends doing stuff when I'm inside, I'm I'm not how much of a Netflix watch. I just recently started watching Outer Banks. Um, you know, I don't. I haven't really had a lot of time to get into Netflix.

But I'm also not a video game player. I usually watch YouTube videos, which everybody thinks he's kind of weird, but um, I'm probably watching the YouTube video about something random, um, learning how to fix something, or fishing or something like that. Um that's my inside activity if I'm not nappy. Um, outside is definitely fishing. Yeah, that was kind of a layup, but hey, at least in South Florida, you'll have really

good fishing down here out in open water. Anyway, Malcolm, I appreciate your time today, man, it was It was good to get to know you a little bit here and we'll hopefully we see it here very soon for training camping and get to work on the football field. Appreciate your time, Yes, sir, thank you. So there he goes Malcolm Perry, Dolphins seventh round draft pick. Let's go ahead now and spend things forward to my interview with

Navy head coach Ken Nia mat Lolo. Alright, coach coach, welcome into the podcast here, and first I want to go ahead and just congratulate you on the eleven wins season and a bull victory and of course beating Army and in that Army game, the Dolphins seventh round draft pick. He had quite a day, didn't He played phenomenal Malcolm. I mean he basically offensively, you know, put our team on his back, and he heared as the victory. I mean, he rushed for three hundred yards, you know, a record

in that game. And they've been playing that game for over a century, you know, and there's been some pretty good football players playing that game. But he he was spectacular. And we talked to coach Ingram earlier today and he was talking about how you guys had these landmarks that you were getting closer to, like the Army Navy rushing record, the games, the game's record, and then once he broke that he had such a big run that he was

getting close to three hundred yards. So you just kept going back to the well and that guy just kind

of seems to always exceed expectations, right Yeah. And you know it wasn't so later on that we heard you know, some of the records is actually the last drive and um, you know, the game was in hand and we're actually trying to run out the clouds too, so everything played into came into playing just um, you know, I'm not trying of whether any seemed to arm or anything like that, but just turning to run up the clock, get the

ball to baseball carryer. And you know, I would have been fine if you'd got one, one or two yards and ate up the whole clock and you know, and and use all the time. But he kept having these long runs and he ran for a touchdown like okay, you know, we weren't going to take a knee, but he just kept running and around. He like, okay, keep yeah, just you're just gonna keep producing. That's what he does.

That's what he did. I think I wrote a stat it was like sixty five runs of ten yards or more or last season, obviously en route to two thousand rushing yards. And I wanted to go back to an article I found Coach that was I want to say, it was you talking to him after the Army Navy game the previous year, when maybe there was a little bit of a lack of conviction to go to him as the full time quarterback, and you approached him and said, you know, that was a mistake that I made and

next year, we're not going to do that. And he was really receptive to it. Can you tell us about how that conversation, like I went down, well, I think you know, nobody was happy with the the year that we had two years ago. Uh, you know, we're not used to that. And you know, before I could look at any other moves with our staff or personnel or strategy or scheme or whatever the case, maybe I had to look at myself. And as I looked at myself, I recognized that I made a huge mistake and not

give him Malcolm the keys. You know, we kind of went back and forward and moved to the quarterbacks. It wasn't a knock on In and other quarterbacks, but you know, I started to think, Um, if you're the quarterback and and you're getting pulled or you're getting moved, there's a thought that hey, I might have to move back to slot back. It's hard to be the leader and the quarterback has to be the leader. And so he just

told him, Hey, we made a mistake. A big part of why we were not successful last year because we didn't you know, we didn't put all of them are marvels in and all of our eggs in one basket. And Tom, we're gonna write you welcome your quarterback. Get Ready, we're gonna put our scheme uh together. They will fit all of your skill set. But you're we're gonna write you you know, good or bad, whatever happens. And he

just wants you to know that. And he took the ball from there and ran and we had him on the Drivetime podcast, our official Miami Dolphins podcast here right after he was drafted and coach, you know this as well as anybody, very soft spoken young man. We couldn't get much out of him. That's why we wanted to get a couple of coaches onto to kind of brag about our new quarterback, running back receiver kind of does

everything for you guys there. I'm curious to get your take on the way his leadership acumen was because he everyone lauds him for it, but being a quiet guy leading by example, how did he get guys to really rally around him and really follow his lead? I think you know when you're somebody, when you're the best player on the team. And then he watched him work, and he's so the hardest worker. It's hard not for everybody

else to elevate their level of preparation. And I used to marvel at him too, because even going into last year, Um, and here's the guy that's you know, was a back to back thousand yard rusher. And I'm just think of my mind, Okay, how many guys are getting ready to play college football to the back to back thousand yard rushers. But you'd see him in team meetings, you'd see him out of practice. Um. I mean he never cared himself

like this star or Prima Donna. You know, he kind of walked around like, you know, like wow, uh, here's the guy's a young freshman trying to make the team or something. You know, just very impressed with his humility. And I know the guys recognized that too. They knew, they knew how good he was. They saw him for two years. They saw the great things he did. I mean even his frestman or he did a lot of great things. Were playing full time those two years, he

did so many spectacular things. And they saw how he worked in all season. Um, you couldn't help as a teammate, but just to um, you know, love your ear, Malcolm for leader did live by example. Um. He was just one of the guys, and I think guys appreciated that. Um. You know, sometimes guys talk a lot, but they don't produce anything some guys. Sometimes guys don't say much, but

produce a lot. And that was Malcolm. Yeah, definitely evident by his statistics over the last season, two thousand rushing yards, a a C Conference Player of the Year, and coach Jasper talked about his willingness to do just do everything and how much he loved practice and being on the football field. And then we had coach ingram On talking about how he was taking twenty one credits last semester

as he was preparing for the NFL Draft. And I'm curious to get your take on this coach, because you know, in the NFL and college whatever it is, you have your position group meeting rooms and this guy is playing three four positions. How much extra time did he have to put in to get himself ready for game day? Well, he did a lot. I remember, uh, you know, and one time and summer just coming back and went in the office and it was kind of an awful our time.

You know. I just said, when you speak anybody think anybody would be around the academy. Fact that the academy was it was a ghost town. There's nobody around, but dare I saw Malcolm was a couple of receivers. They're coming off the field, you know, and there at the ball in hand, and guys, what have you guys been doing? So we've just been throwing some routes, you know what

I mean. It just and I was like, I knew then when I saw that we had a we had a chance, that this was our Here was our best player, you know, to grab a couple of other white outs on his own accord when everybody else is gone. You know, the academy is a tough place. And so if you got some freedom, some some free time and you're allowed to leave the yard or the academy, guys are out of here. They're they're gonna go out, they're gonna leave.

And here he was stayed and and he worked. It was working out, and I was like, Wow, this guy really means business. Uh, he's really excited about about doing this. Um. But it's it's like I said, it's been an alcome. It's it's been who he's been as coach. Jasper said, I mean, he's a he's a guy that loves to work out. Um. But he's a competitive guy too. He's super competitive. And I know that he there was an

inner drive. And I think all the great ones you see all their physical skills, but then it's the mental part that I think that separates people just how bad they want, and those are always hard because you can't gauge that, and all you can gauge it on is the work ethic. How they prepare, you know, and how they do things. Um, it's like you said, just getting ready, you know, for the draft or a combine. I kind of chuckled a little bit because you know, all these

other guys are at camps have individual trainers. I mean he's coming from class. In fact, one day he's you know, he was setting up we're we're getting ready to run the returning players for our workout. And he is on the field before they guys got there, sitting but juggs machines with jug machines we can catch balls, and and he's asked, what do you doing? He's got to catch some balls, and and he was waiting for another teammate

to come put the balls in the jug machine. And where he's at, So he's not here, So you know, I'm here. I am. I'm helping them get you know, I'm putting the balls and the jug machine for him. But I'm thinking, well, here's the guy having to do things on his own. What other guys are you know, got personal trainers. And I just remember to watching the comby watching guys get down. You know, they'd say their name and uh, it took them a while to get

on starting block. They got this routine and you could tell that they've been preparing for that for months and that's all they've been doing it, Like Malcolm Pare and Malcolm, you know, there's a little thing get down and starts to run, and you know, just he definitely didn't have the preparation times with the other guys, who are most of them not in school. But here's Malcolm carrying a full load and trying to work out in his off time. You know, his he was kind of hazy to me,

kind of funny. I felt for the kid, like he's going against guys that have been training for four months and you know he's he's still going to class every day. Yeah, and you see the times we'd come back at less something like four or six. Coach, I watch him on the field, that's he's not a four six guy, is he? No? Yeah, that's why I know just and I think the other thing that you have to take an account to is just you know, we played late, you know with our

late army. Our Army game obviously is the latest game, any regular season game. So we played all the ways to the second week of December. And you know, he's a quarterback. You know, all quarterbacks take a take a pony, but an option quarterback takes a ton. And he carried the ball a ton this year, you know, so the rush you know, going into that game or whatever, he had eighteen hounds yards or whatever or seven he had a ton of yards prior to that, and he was

beat up going into that game. Uh So he's you know, the effects of the season of a guy that we gave all the ball all the time. You know, there's been some comps. Can he really be able to handle it? I mean, he was an option quarterback at a hundred and nine pounds, you know, for a full season candal load, and he played you know, thirteen games, so he was

still beat up. I've seen him run away from guys from you know, Notre Dame, Central Florida, s MBU, Houston and all these guys that I see they get drafted from different places are you know malcos run away from Temple. You know, he's the one guy that's we've had that we haven't had slotback like him before running back. Then when he breaks, he goes. You know a lot of times we get caught and then we have to you know, line up on the tan or something like that. But

Malcolm's run away from everybody. Yeah, the Army game, I think it was the first touchdown. He he did not have anything close to an angle and he just completely erased the angle the defender did have on him and just raced right into the when you get the scoring

started there. Then you go to the Shrine Bowl and you talk about how he runs away from these other kids that are getting drafted higher and kids that are having these forty times that are times better and he gets he gets one chance at a carry in the Shrine Game, and what does he do besides take a fifty yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Definitely,

just just a special kid. And talk about his maturity and the discipline that you have to have to to do the stuff that you mentioned, and you you wonder how much of that comes from his family and his parents. And I'm curious to ask you, coach, he had two parents that both went to army, how do you get him over to navy? Um, coach herem you know was a are the best recruit in our staff? Uh? These are cretic Keenan Reynolds obviously Malcolm to the best football

players and many others that comes to the academy. But Cosino did a great job. Um. I think when he came on his business, you know, like you said, he's got wonderful parents, both of them served in the army and you know, great people. But I think coming to our school and I think the things that resonated with him family, Uh, unity, you know, we got a brotherhood

that loves each other. You know, so much of stuff now, Travis, and recruiting is about you know, the bells and whistles of gold lockers and you know, gold plated weight rooms and you know, I mean just things like that. And I think he saw few all of that stuff. He came and saw the tight unity of a family, and I think that resonated with him, you know, And I think it he saw that who we were and I think he felt very very comfortable at our at our school. Um.

But that's you know, that's kind of been him. He's been a humble kids from the beginning. You know, even after the Army Navy game, you know, we're waiting on him. He took forever to get back in the locker room, and I think, you know, talking to some people. Malcolm was outside to shake the people's hands and you know, signing autographs, you know, not from both full stay, but just want to standpoint of just being um, I didn't want to let anybody down. And I just think it

was like, you know, the bad coaching our part. We should have somebody with him, you know, as they started to feel we should have got him back intore, but he sent everybody's law and uh, you know, autographs and but that's just Malcolm. He's just a phenomenal, phenomenal kid. I think he's certainly on track to be to be a fan favorite down in South Florida. And that was his last regular season game with the Navy program there.

I want to go back for the last question here for you, coach, and the first ever varsity game where he was pulled out of the stands as the emergency quarterback. He had been sick all week and didn't practice much and didn't dress for the game. But your starting quarterback gets hurt in the first half, so he dresses down at halftime and comes into the game in the second half.

Can you tell us about that story? Well, we you know, obviously you never want your starter to go down, and you know we had another quarterback behind uh in our third stream quarterback was actually paying another position, I believe at that time. And so the game kind of got out of hand. And you know we started as our you know, early game for us. You know, we didn't

want our now starter to get hurt. Um. You know, one and one thought is we're just gonna do some things where you know, there's no chance of him getting hurt. He could just hand the ball off and finished the game out because we had a sizeable league. Uh. But you know what ended up having coach Jasper and our equipment guide. Um, they went just what they got. They got malcol suited up, you know, and they said, coach we got We went and called Malcolm, got him suited up.

You know what I mean? I don't know, but it's kind of funnycles coming from where and so and so it's a game that I was gon no, you know, I don't want a guy that had any practice with us, you know, I mean, you can't put him in a game. They know. Those are my thoughts. But then I started to think a little bit of well, you know, you talk with coach Jasper. It's like, coach, you probably should take out. Well, we don't want him to get hurt.

Sot right, let's put Hi come and said he's ready, and he goes, yeah, you know, Greg's got his you got his his uniform, his equipment, and put him out of his stance, all right, mightna put him in there, and um, you not only went in there and finished the game, he did well, which is like I thought, we just hand the ball off, you know, just try to get out of the game with the w He went out there and did some really really good things and that was the beginning of the the Malcolm's you know,

Perry deal, and he did that for the rest of his career. He had one carry belief. Later on, I think we moved them back to slop back when I didn't play as much but played in the ballgame. Came in again, and I think again it's similar to the

Shrine boy. First carry. He went out the back for like a forty yeard touchdown or something, and just it's like every time he touches the ball, it's you know, great things happen, and Malcolm's production last year certainly did make plenty of great things happened with two thousand seventeen rushing yards. Coach, we really appreciate your time today and

best of luck this upcoming season. Okay, Drivis, thank you to take care and the way there goes coach and this organization, this football program here is just so first class and so well run. You hear it there from up top with coach Nia mat Lolo, from players like Malcolm Perry that really resonate and really deliver that message of the football team. You heard him talk about the integral recruiter that helped get Malcolm Perry to Navy even

though he has two parents that were Army veterans. He gave credit to coach Ashley Ingram, who is the run game coordinator and interior offensive lines coach there at Navy, and he is my next interview subject on this Malcolm Perry episode. Alright, Coach Ingram, welcome in, and first I wanted to congratulate you on the eleven one season. The bull victory and of course beating Army. And in that Army game, he had quite a day, didn't he. Oh

he did, he was. He was impressive. Um he had he had one for ages and he was right at the end of the game. We were we were up, and I think somebody told us on the sideline that he needs like six yards to break the Army Navy rushing record, you know, for a single season. Well then he breaks off like a fifteen yard run and then somebody goes, well, you don't, you only need six yards for three hundred yards. So we actually called one more run for him, and I think he went like twenty

five yards were touchdown. So well, he was. He was special. So and you know he had a two hundred yard rushing Army game or two fifty two years prior, and then he had a three hundred yard rushing game in that game. So he uh, he played really well against those guys. Well, it should come as as almost no surprise that he was able to do that. I think it was something like sixty five rounds he had of

ten yards or more. Just constant production. For you guys out there, and you were the one in charge of recruiting him right right, Yeah, I did recruiting Parksville, Tennessee, and uh kim Wood High schools where he was at. Well, I'm curious to ask you because both of his parents were Army cadets and you manage you to get him over to the Navy. How'd you do that? Uh? Well, we got on him early. Uh, and I think we

were the first to offer him. Um. I had a relationship with his high school coach, and when you watch this film, it was just obvious that he was a you know, a special football player. He was playing a quarterback and I don't think there's a path on his high school highlight video and it's all running, which which

was really impressive. But um, you know, I thought we established a good relationship with him early on, and then you know, as a staff, we were recruited it really hard and got into the home and then home visits. And I think when when he is he's mentioned, uh you know why he chose Navy. He really said he was kind of old about two people. You know, coach neamt Ivan Jasper obviously was going to be his position coach,

and they got to know each other well. Uh, and I just think that, you know, like like we felt about him, I think he's a connection with us as well. I had a chance to talk to coach Jasper just a little bit ago, and he was talking about how how important the academics were to Malcolm, and also how hard he practice and how he looked forward to practice

every day. And I was curious to get your take, coach on the fact that he did play multiple positions for you guys, slot back, a little bit of quarterback. He would run some routes out of receiver as well. So how much does that put on a plate for a kid who already has so many expectations of him out of place like Navy, where academia and your structure, your structure every day is so important, you know. I think the the athletics stuff, I think it's it's just

a reflection to who he is as a person. You know. I think he's a he's a hard worker, he's a you know, maybe he's an always obviously has some talents, but he's an overachiever, he's tough, he's selfless, um. But all those things show up on the football field, you know, whether it be in the weight room or practice or in games. But those those same I think that's who he is at the person though. Um And I think that shocked me at all that academics meant a lot

to him. It didn't surprise me that he wants to do well in life and he you know that he wants to work for everything and that he gets and and if you just look at his career here, Uh, the things that he did on the field speak for themselves. But I mean, how many kids are are that selfless? I mean kids will move positions two or three times

to do whatever they can do to help the football team. Um. And I think more than anything that I could speak to is just the kind of young man that he is, the kind of character he has, um and not that he's not confident, but a humble a humble guy that will do whatever he can for his team and organization. UM. So I think you guys got a great young man

on the top of a great football player. I think one of the best stories there is about Malcolm in regards to the fact that he is just a gamer who wants to get out there and play football is the story that was told to me. And I'm hoping you can give us some more details on this about his first ever varsity game where he's pulled out of the stands to be the emergency quarterback. I read this story, coach, and I'm like, there's no way that can be real.

So can you just walk us through what happened, how that decision got made, and how he able to impact the game that night? Yeah, so what, There's a lot of things led up to it, So it was not like he was just This isn't a Michael Jordan's story where he was cutting from the varsity or anything like that. So so he was he was actually gonna be dressing that Saturday, but he actually was just the opening game

of his career. And I think he got a stomach virus earlier in the week, so he missed some practice time being sick, and think that he was feeling better later in the week. And I think the determination coach made was, you know, if he's had a stomach virus and there's a chance he could get other guys sick, maybe we should kind of keep him away from the team. Let's don't bring him to the hotel, let's don't bring him over. So we decided not to dressing that game

because he had been sick. Uh. Well, we get into the game. He has brushed in his his summer whites. He's up in his military uniform in the stands, and uh our starting quarterback, Tago Smith towards a c l uh in the first quarter. And our back quarterback was a really good football player, and we've got a nice lead on the team we're playing. I can't remember exactly who. It was, cold game or something. Well, it gets to the point where we've already lost one quarterback. We can't

let this, you know. Our next guy continued to play the rest of the game. I think there may have been another quarterback that was injured, you know. So we just got to the point where I mean what, I don't know how exactly how it worked and who called him down or how all those things worked. But it was just kind of a crazy series events that led him to the bleachers. But then a you know, kind of a crazy series events that led him at halftime going to get dressed and playing most of the second

half at quarterback in his first game ever played. Well, marcis down the field on a scoring drive and you know, all those things. So it's one of those crazy stories, but it's a it's true and uh yeah, it definitely happened, and he just he never turned back from there in terms of the production and coach Niamatolo actually called him the greatest running back he's ever coached a Navy and

he has the best instinct he's ever seen. I'm curious to get your take in the film room when you guys are sitting there breaking down that the you know, the play calls on structure and then you have a player that goes off structure and makes a play like that. Did he just constantly a wow you when you watch the tape, Yeah, he did. He's uh, you know, I've been I've been here, you know, going on thirteen years

now too. He's the he's the most dynamic runner that we've had, the most dynamic guy with the ball in his hands. And he's done it as you mentioned, nerd, and he's done it from quarterback. Uh, he's done it wide receiver, he's done it at slot. He some of his best plays this year we're called passes where he didn't see anybody opening. He just took off running and moving and uh, yes, some of his stuff was kind of all stripped and uh, but just the ability to

change directions. He's gonna be a lot stronger than what people think too. Uh, you know, he's kind of hard to bring down. The arm tackles donna get him down. And I think there's gonna be a little more speed to than what people, you know, expect them as combined town times and things like that. Yeah, I noticed that too. You watch him run on the field and the place being compared to the time speed, it just looks completely different compared to what he was clocked in that forty

yard dash. So I think that's pretty evident. You know. The other thing on that, and I think people and I think this is maybe a defense of all of our guys at the Naval Academy is you know, most guys when they go to the combine, you know they have they've actually gone to a facility and a training camp in Arizona or Florida, and they've worked on all these skills, and they've worked on their forty times and

all this. Well, you know, Malcolm was he was walking around the Naval Academy drift in military uniforms and taking twenty one credits while all these guys were off doing all those other things. So I think that some of those times are obviously manipulated and guys worked really hard on him where I just don't think he had an opportunity to do that. So I think there's and I think there's a little more to you know, a good start.

They would never run another forty yard daturs. I think there's I think there's something that what you said about the game speed as opposed to that time speed, right, because they go they work on like you mentioned, the start, and they literally spend hours getting themselves prepared to get off the line and get that clock speed down. But it just doesn't really translate, does it. Yeah? It does that mean you he's just to pootball players, I guess,

instead of talking about those guys. But I think he'll do well. But I think he's gonna show up when when it counts on the football field. I wanted to ask you a little bit, coach about him off the field, because we've heard some stories and like you said, he won't talk about it, so I gotta get someone else to tell me about it. But he he was he was one of I think six siblings, was it, and he had a sister passed away when he was eight

years old. Due to a heart condition. Do you know much about that and kind of has he has he talked about it, opened up about it, and maybe kind of the impact is on him as a person. I don't know much about that story. I have heard that. I said, our recruitered him, UM and so got to know a little bit in high school. UM have home visited him and with him and his mom and dad. But Canada, to be honest with he's a he's a

quiet guy's reserved. I would have phone conversations, are attempt to have phone conversations within UM when we were recruiting him, and he just you know, you obviously have to kind of proud him a little bit to get him to open up to talk. But that's just his personality. So I'm sure those things we're driving factors in his life. But to be honestly, I didn't. I didn't know a lot about some of those things. He's he's much better to communicate by text and he has sometimes don't get

to move on the phone. So that's probably most the kids you deal with these days, right, Yeah, But I think he checked it to the next level. He's just he's a quiet guy and he's he said, he's humble, he's got confidence, but he's not you know, he's not bolsterus, He's not a you know, I wouldn't say he's not a super outgoing Guy's just kind of the way he is. And he I think he's got obviously a lot of

internal motivation. And then I'm sure on those family situations and may be losing his sister probably play a part in that. Yeah, absolutely, And it's the fact that he's able to bounce around different position rooms, in different meeting rooms and get in the weight room in the academics like you mentioned, just a really good, cool sounding kid.

I'm excited to have a chance to to get to know him down here and see him play on Sundays and and uh, he's actually the first Miami Dolphin to be drafted out of the Service academies, so he has that going for him as well. And and a coach, We really appreciate your time today. Congrats to get on the season. Eleven wins, a bull victory beat an army. Can't get much better than that, now, it was a great one. Congratulations and you guys taking Malcolm too. I think he's gonna be a good one. And I know

you're gonna enjoy him quite a bit. Well, coach, we really appreciate your time today. Thank you for that, and best of luck this season. Okay, take care and there he goes Coach Ingram the run game coordinator and interior offensive line coach there at Navy and finishing up this interview series with Malcolm Perry. We got cut a little bit short at the end, but I did get some good nuggets and notes out of Navy quarterbacks coach and

fensive coordinator Ivan Jasper. All right, Coach Jasper, thank you for doing this. Welcome in, and first, congrats on a very good season last year, the double digit wins, the victory over Army. But first with Malcolm Perry. Here, I want to ask you who are we getting in this

football player? Who are we getting in Miami? And Malcolm Perry, Well, obviously, you know when when we recruited him, Um, you know, obviously all the kids come on recruiting visits, um, and obviously from the from the video, we knew he was a great football player. Um. You know that he got from a military family, so obviously fit what we're looking for. He understood what we were about, what the school stood for what the military stands for. So that was always

a major plus for us in recruiting. The main thing I remember was on his recruiting visit was basically just a really quiet kid. Um. Didn't say much, you know, it was just that's always been I'm just always always been a kid. Um. At the same time, you know, just when you around his friend, he does kind of

loosen up, you know, But it was always a quiet kid. Um. And then he went to our prep school first, you know, it's a one year program, went there first and and Um, you know, just to get himself more prepared, you know, for the academy, the academics you know, and the military part of it, Um, and and doing the recruiting time. Each coach goes up there to visit with them, you know,

to just to check up on him, you know. So I do remember going up there and checking all the guys, and I sat down and met with every one of the offensive players and sat and talked with him, you know. And again it was a great meeting, you know. But but I do remember coming out and and H called in coach Ingram and saying, coach, you know, just technic coaching income because of coaching and recruited him. Just how

specially for a kid I thought he was. Um. Again, just just seeing him more and also seeing him after he had been through the process of our prep school. You know, he had already been there for you know, for half four semesters, so you know, Um, he has kind of changed a lot. You know, he kind of grew up some. I'm still quiet, but you see the maturity to look in his eyes if he always asked, he always had clear eyes, you know. So again we know we had got a great football player and and

a great young man, you know. And then obviously when it came to the academy, Um started out playing uh slide back for us and again never stopped being a quiet person, but just a good football player. UM and I do here when he's around his frenzies, he does talk more, but you know, around the coaches again, he was just always a quiet kid, very very very attentive. Um. Again, always studies playbook, you know, always making sure things that

he knows what's going on. And then obviously, you know, get on the football field, and that was pretty much spoke for herself. You know, just a great football player. UM. And I think the one thing that that that I've been able to learn about him. The thing that I think is, you know, truly special, but just kid just

loves to practice, you know. And and again that that might sound a little you know or something that, but I mean I've I've come across a few kids in my coaching career, you know that that that I truly felt that, but just they love to practice. The kids just love to practice. I mean look forward to practice every single day. Came out there the same every single day, you know, always had the energy, always always practiced hard.

Everything he did was full speed, to the point where something I we had to tell him to kind of hold off a little bit because it's just just a great person, you know. Um with him the Q biggest junior year, but then we kind of moved him back, UM and then a senior yearly obviously he took over full The biggest thing for him when he moved a quarterback because he was always he was a coach. I just want to make sure I know what's going on. You know, I don't want to screw anything up. I

don't want to hurt the team. Just make sure you know it's make sure that you know I want to make sure I want to be coached right, and just make make sure that I know everything that's going on, and just make sure I don't got a dams grewp you know. So Again, so we always knew that that perfections was in was in him, even in the classroom, you know. And that's something that that's I should have said. Even first. He was always big on his academics. Um, if he has a bad test score, he got down

on himself, you know. And again but he was always that perfectionist type of person, you know. So, but obviously don't want wouldn't the QB and the same deal with him, just just wanted to make sure that they knew what was going on. He knew the game planning now, he asked all the questions, make sure everything. Um, you got his eyes across all the teas and uh and I was when I got down side, you know. Silda just

just played great. He had a great senior year, great career. Um, when the balls in that young man's hand, he just has a way of doing things, you know. So and and and a lot of what he does you you can't really coach, you know. So yeah, yeah, just a special player, especially young man. Yeah, we saw I think it was something like sixty five runs of ten plus yards and he just explodes out of there when he

sees that hole and hits it. And you talk about him playing some slot back and some quarterback, and also the academic requirements there at Navy obviously coming very much first, and the schedule these players and these young men have to adhere to every single day. How much of a challenge is it for a player to really have to kind of cross train and be a part of maybe both of the meeting rooms at practice, in the film

room and stuff like that. Is it is it just even more on his plate and makes it more impressive that way it does, because again, I mean it's it's you know we kind of talk to about, you know, as a staff, and again I want to see this's the right way, um, like preparing for the combine. You know, poor Malcolm. You know a lot of those guys have to combine. When their season was over, they pretty much kind of take a break and they prepare for the combine. You know a lot of guys that they go strip

and trained for that. You know, where malclass is still still go to school and still deal with the rigorous academics, getting up in the morning, you know, only steed all day long, you know. So, but it's always been, you know, something that that we always as coaches, we always sit back and we're astonished about that our young men can do it. You know. They again the acade. They wake up every morning and it's it's a full day of academics. You know, they can't miss class. You have to go

to class. Um if you miss class, you know, um, everybody knows about it. And you held account before, you know. So again, just just with having the academics and just the schedule of the riggers of the school, you know, and and and and being a Division one football player and showing up every single Saturday against talent. That's you know, we were never the bigger, stronger Fessor team, you know.

At the same time, the kids always played har But that's just the most impressive part of it, just what these young men do. But they go through every single weekend or Saturday and they show up and they play their tails off and so really there you get it. A big thanks to coach Jasper, coach Ingram and coach Niema, to Lolo there from Navy and the midshipman football program there.

They really run a great program, a great ship they're pardon my pun, and they produced players like Malcolm Perry, a great young man who really know the right way to play football, and of course talented football players there as well. One of the better teams. They're in the A C Conference. Again, thank you to that coaching staff, and of course a big thank you to Malcolm for taking time out of his day to talk with us and let us get to know the young man out

of Navy. Thank you for all the details and all the time they gave us on those phone calls. We're gonna go ahead and conclude this episode of the Malcolm Perry Comprehensive Player Profile. We'll come back with each of these Dolphins rookies in future episodes, but as for now, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, podcast, Spotify, tuned in, wherever you get your

podcast from. Go ahead and leave us a rating, leave us a review, fall of me on Twitter at Wingfield, NFL, Fall the Dolphins at Miami Dolphins, check out the fish Tank and the Audible podcast, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up