After solid Citrus Bowl, U-M's Grant Perry reaching for starter’s role
He had 14 catches for 128 yards in his true freshman season, seems to have adjusted to college game better this year
Wide receiver Grant Perry opened last season playing a big role in the first game at Utah. The true freshman had impressed the coaches enough to be active and targeted.
He caught three passes for 41 yards, but a few miscommunications led to interceptions for quarterback Jake Rudock.
That was Perry’s last time in the offensive flow for a while. He only began to catch balls again in the second half of the season.
He played in all 13 games, but the last one was his best, with five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Citrus Bowl. He ended the season with 14 catches for 128 yards.
Now he’s trying to lock down the starting slot receiver role as a sophomore.
“I know the playbook a lot better this year, I’ve put on some good weight, good speed, my size is up,” Perry said. “I’ve been playing loose, I haven’t been playing tense. I’ve been going out and doing well, and Coach has been saying the same thing.”
While Perry seemed the front-runner for the spot, the influx of a few freshmen, including the speedy Eddie McDoom, has made things competitive.
“I feel like I’ve made some huge strides, as the Citrus Bowl showed,” Perry said. “And camp, I’ve improved as well. I’ve been trying to explain to these young guys it’s a different ballgame out there once you actually hit the field.”
■TV show: The weekly U-M football TV show “Inside Michigan Football” will debut at 10:30 a.m. on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) and run in that time slot throughout the regular season.
Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder. Download our Wolverines Xtra app on iTunes and Android!
