Navy’s Malcolm Perry sets single-season rushing record by a quarterback record

The 2019 New Year’s Eve holiday was a big day for the Navy Midshipmen. Navy took down the Kansas State Wildcats, 20-17, in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. While defeating a Big 12 opponent, and earning a win for the American Athletic Conference and the Group of 5s as a whole was significant, they hail in comparison to Malcolm Perry’s accomplishment.

Navy’s star quarterback, Malcolm Perry, set the NCAA all-time single season rushing record for a quarterback, finishing the year with 2,017 yards. The record was previously held by Northern Illinois in 2013 when he rushed for 1,920. Perry also finished the year with 21 rushing touchdowns.

Malcolm Perry is set to commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps upon graduation at the end of May. However, we would be remiss to ignore his potential to compete for an NFL job this off-season. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, he would have to play a position other than quarterback. That being said, a transition to playing slot receiver or some type of kick/punt returner is definitely not at all out of the question. Former Navy quarterback, Keenan Reynolds is the most recent Navy player to spend a few years in the NFL as someone who transitioned to a new position.

Lastly, with a new policy from the Department of Defense regarding service academy athletes forgoing their service requirements and going directly to professional sports, Perry could easily be wearing an NFL uniform instead of a Marine Corps uniform next year.