Perryman Appears to be Everyman CB, Capable of Playing a Level Up

Football players typically leave the University of Washington for the Big Sky, not the other around. They change teams in midstream in search of more playing time, simple as that.

Jordan Perryman is the exception to the rule. He came to Montlake to start at cornerback, earn all-conference honors and find his way to the NFL, same as at UC Davis.

He just wanted to experience a bigger stage, gesturing in a sweeping motion to Husky Stadium's double-deck grandness to emphasis his point.

Asked rather pointedly if he felt it was necessary to join the Pac-12 for him to become an NFL player, Perryman didn't blink, saying, "I felt confident I could have done it at Davis, as well."

So here he is now, wearing No. 1 for the Huskies and joining a largely untested and exceedingly young collection of cornerbacks.

Of the UW's seven scholarship candidates vying for jobs, Perryman, a sixth-year senior, is the only one older than a sophomore.

He's just one of four corners who have appeared in a college game at any level, and his experience far outweighs the others.

At UC Davis, Perryman appeared in 42 games, starting 34 of them, and was a two-time, first-team All-Big Sky selection. In contrast, sophomore running mate Mishael Powell has started three of 12 career Husky games, redshirt freshman Davon Banks has four reserve appearances and Elijah Jackson counts three reserve outings.

With fall camp just a few weeks away, we're reviewing each prospective starting position and creating a depth chart for each role.

Perryman is a guy who had only FCS offers coming out of Hanford High School in Hanford, California, the same place that produced the Huskies' All-Pac-10 and NFL-bound cornerback Mark Lee.

Considering how spring football lineups evolved, he'll most likely start alongside Powell ... who had only offers from FCS-level schools, too.

They'll try to step in with as little drop-off as possible and replace Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon, who had scholarship offers from everyone when they went off to college and are now in the NFL.

"I'm out here making a name for myself, trying to prove what I can do," Perryman said, seemingly unaffected by his new surroundings and the demands that come with it.

To connect to the UW, Perryman received a call from defensive-backs coach Juice Brown to gauge his interest in playing for the Huskies.

He no doubt came highly recommended from Paul Creighton, a new UW quality coach and special-teams coordinator. Creighton spent the past two seasons at Fresno State as the tight-ends coach for Kalen DeBoer after coaching six seasons at UC Davis and encountering Perryman.

DeBoer's coaching staff was immediately impressed with Perryman's offseason work ethic and the corner seemed to click right away with the rest of the secondary.

"Technique-wise, Jordan is second to none,' UW senior safety Alex Coook said. "The dude's as physical as can be. He's big as hell, excuse my language. The dude is a huge, physical specimen. His personality just fits the team. Once we get rolling, you'll see."

UW RIGHT CORNERBACK

1) Jordan Perryman, 6-0, 198, Sr., Hanford, Calif.

2) Davon Banks, 5-11, 182, R-Fresh., San Jacinto, Calif.

3) Elijah Jackson, 6-1, 184, R-Fresh., Carson, Calif.

Banks has been impressive since he joined the Huskies a year ago. He played in his prescribed quota of four games last season to preserve his four years of eligibility, and it easily could have been more. Impressing the new coaching staff, he made a move in the spring by intercepting a pair of passes a scrimmage.

Jackson played in three games last season and likewise has the skills to assume a more prominent role. He was a standout in the 2021 spring game. His big test will be to see if he can stay patient and wait for his chance.

Conclusion: After watching him in the spring, Perryman's skills should transfer from the Big Sky to the Pac-12. He's got decent speed, plenty of confidence and his new teammates like him. With such a young group of corners, Perryman transferring in was imperative for the Huskies and enables them to ease the others onto the field on Saturdays rather than shove them out there and hope for the best.

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