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Princeton University Athletics
Will Perez
Photo by: Brian Foley
The Ultimate Team Player: Will Perez
October 27, 2022 | Football
Princeton was always a natural fit for Will Perez.
"Academics were a huge importance in where I wanted to go to school," said Perez. "I had offers early on from the Ivy League, so I kept my mind in that lane. Even as a freshman in high school, I wanted to play in the Ivy League."
The academic piece of being at Princeton really threw Perez for a loop. "In high school, I didn't need to push myself to maximum potential," said the senior linebacker. "That completely changed here. It was tutors week in and week out, doing extra work, meeting with teachers after class to stay on top of everything. That was the biggest adjustment for me."
Then there was the football aspect of coming to college. Expectations are higher.
"It was a lot of pressure on me all the time," said Perez. "It was a bit of a struggle, just the constant need to meet demands between athletics and academics."
Perez saw time in three games his freshman year in 2019 for a team that went 8-2 overall and was in contention for its second straight Ivy League title in the final week of the season. Where he gained more experience as a freshman was in the junior varsity games.
"Invaluable," said Perez when describing the worth of playing JV contests. "Playing against opponents that are not your teammates is important. When you play a team like Kean or TCNJ, you have no idea what they're throwing out at you. Being out there with guys for the first time as a team, it was a beneficial for me gaining confidence in myself and the people I'm playing with."
The COVID-19 pandemic eventually led to the announcement from the Ivy League in July of 2020 that there would be no competition in the fall semester. Perez made the decision to stay in school as his class made the mutual agreement that they were going to stick through it together.
After not being on campus for the fall of 2020, students were allowed back on campus in the spring. Despite not having a season, the team was able to get together for almost 30 practices.
Those practices were a huge developmental step for Perez despite not playing.
"I think being able to get in my mind and think I can continue to play well, and it doesn't matter who I'm playing against," said Perez. "That was such a big step for me because when I came in as a freshman, the game felt fast to me, especially with special teams, where it's one play and you're out. On defense, the game still felt fast, even as a sophomore that year, and those practices in the spring really helped slow it down."
Perez also credits Special Teams Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach Mike Mendenhall during those practices with his growth as a player.
"Being able to be with Coach Mendenhall for that much time and having that type of precise focus each and every day, working on one thing, stacking those days, building one thing after another, really helped my toolkit become complete," said Perez.
During the 2021 season, Perez spent time on the special teams unit as Jeremiah Tyler and Matthew Jester solidified the outside linebacker positions for a defense that was one of the best in the NCAA FCS as it allowed the second-fewest first downs, was third in rushing defense, eighth in team sacks per game and ninth in total defense.
Perez took his role in stride, and it made him work harder.
"Being a junior playing special teams was a little bit humbling," said Perez. "It's just a constant reminder that you need to work hard no matter what you're doing on the team. That's what brings everybody together at the end of the day. It takes 11 guys on the field no matter what play it is to get the job done."
The Tigers would go on to finish 9-1 in the 2021 season, securing the program's 13th Ivy League title.
After graduating four starters on defense including Tyler, who was the Bushnell Cup winner for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, the opportunity was there for Perez to see an uptick in snaps.
Safe to say, he has taken full advantage. The senior has collected at least four tackles in each of the last four games for Princeton, highlighted by his performance against Columbia that featured six tackles, a sack and an interception. He also added nine stops vs. Brown and has three pass break-ups in his last two outings.
Despite his outstanding game at Columbia, Perez made sure to point out that it takes a team effort.
"Football is not a one-man game, and it takes 11 guys to get the job done," said the senior. "Every single play that I'm successful, the 10 other guys on the field are doing their jobs just as well as I am. "
"Will had strong talent coming in as a freshman and exemplified our culture of toughness and grit," said Mendenhall. "He made a commitment to train at Princeton this past summer which really boosted his development and confidence. His combination of size, speed, toughness, and intelligence has allowed him to make plays on defense."
He sure has made plays this season. Perez is third on the squad in tackles, with 27, and pass break-ups (three). He has more solo tackles this season (15) than total tackles in the first two seasons of his career (13).
"I think the game has definitely slowed down," said Perez when describing his season to date. "Each week is a different opponent, so I think the constantly changing aspect is still going to be there."
Perez has bided his time to get to this point in his career. What advice would he give to younger players who were in his spot?
"Trust the Process," said Perez. "Our coaches are smart and are the brightest group of guys I've been around when it comes to football. When they tell you to do something, whether you like it or not, you've got to do it, because they really are doing it for your best interest. That's really what everybody does here at Princeton. Everybody looks out for you. No matter what it is on the field off the field, they're going to make sure you can become the best player and person that you could be."
Princeton continues its process towards an Ivy title this weekend when it hosts Cornell. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
"Academics were a huge importance in where I wanted to go to school," said Perez. "I had offers early on from the Ivy League, so I kept my mind in that lane. Even as a freshman in high school, I wanted to play in the Ivy League."
The academic piece of being at Princeton really threw Perez for a loop. "In high school, I didn't need to push myself to maximum potential," said the senior linebacker. "That completely changed here. It was tutors week in and week out, doing extra work, meeting with teachers after class to stay on top of everything. That was the biggest adjustment for me."
Then there was the football aspect of coming to college. Expectations are higher.
"It was a lot of pressure on me all the time," said Perez. "It was a bit of a struggle, just the constant need to meet demands between athletics and academics."
Perez saw time in three games his freshman year in 2019 for a team that went 8-2 overall and was in contention for its second straight Ivy League title in the final week of the season. Where he gained more experience as a freshman was in the junior varsity games.
"Invaluable," said Perez when describing the worth of playing JV contests. "Playing against opponents that are not your teammates is important. When you play a team like Kean or TCNJ, you have no idea what they're throwing out at you. Being out there with guys for the first time as a team, it was a beneficial for me gaining confidence in myself and the people I'm playing with."
The COVID-19 pandemic eventually led to the announcement from the Ivy League in July of 2020 that there would be no competition in the fall semester. Perez made the decision to stay in school as his class made the mutual agreement that they were going to stick through it together.
After not being on campus for the fall of 2020, students were allowed back on campus in the spring. Despite not having a season, the team was able to get together for almost 30 practices.
Those practices were a huge developmental step for Perez despite not playing.
"I think being able to get in my mind and think I can continue to play well, and it doesn't matter who I'm playing against," said Perez. "That was such a big step for me because when I came in as a freshman, the game felt fast to me, especially with special teams, where it's one play and you're out. On defense, the game still felt fast, even as a sophomore that year, and those practices in the spring really helped slow it down."
Perez also credits Special Teams Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach Mike Mendenhall during those practices with his growth as a player.
"Being able to be with Coach Mendenhall for that much time and having that type of precise focus each and every day, working on one thing, stacking those days, building one thing after another, really helped my toolkit become complete," said Perez.
During the 2021 season, Perez spent time on the special teams unit as Jeremiah Tyler and Matthew Jester solidified the outside linebacker positions for a defense that was one of the best in the NCAA FCS as it allowed the second-fewest first downs, was third in rushing defense, eighth in team sacks per game and ninth in total defense.
Perez took his role in stride, and it made him work harder.
"Being a junior playing special teams was a little bit humbling," said Perez. "It's just a constant reminder that you need to work hard no matter what you're doing on the team. That's what brings everybody together at the end of the day. It takes 11 guys on the field no matter what play it is to get the job done."
The Tigers would go on to finish 9-1 in the 2021 season, securing the program's 13th Ivy League title.
After graduating four starters on defense including Tyler, who was the Bushnell Cup winner for Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, the opportunity was there for Perez to see an uptick in snaps.
Safe to say, he has taken full advantage. The senior has collected at least four tackles in each of the last four games for Princeton, highlighted by his performance against Columbia that featured six tackles, a sack and an interception. He also added nine stops vs. Brown and has three pass break-ups in his last two outings.
Despite his outstanding game at Columbia, Perez made sure to point out that it takes a team effort.
"Football is not a one-man game, and it takes 11 guys to get the job done," said the senior. "Every single play that I'm successful, the 10 other guys on the field are doing their jobs just as well as I am. "
"Will had strong talent coming in as a freshman and exemplified our culture of toughness and grit," said Mendenhall. "He made a commitment to train at Princeton this past summer which really boosted his development and confidence. His combination of size, speed, toughness, and intelligence has allowed him to make plays on defense."
He sure has made plays this season. Perez is third on the squad in tackles, with 27, and pass break-ups (three). He has more solo tackles this season (15) than total tackles in the first two seasons of his career (13).
"I think the game has definitely slowed down," said Perez when describing his season to date. "Each week is a different opponent, so I think the constantly changing aspect is still going to be there."
Perez has bided his time to get to this point in his career. What advice would he give to younger players who were in his spot?
"Trust the Process," said Perez. "Our coaches are smart and are the brightest group of guys I've been around when it comes to football. When they tell you to do something, whether you like it or not, you've got to do it, because they really are doing it for your best interest. That's really what everybody does here at Princeton. Everybody looks out for you. No matter what it is on the field off the field, they're going to make sure you can become the best player and person that you could be."
Princeton continues its process towards an Ivy title this weekend when it hosts Cornell. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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