Jamal Perry (born Jomal Wiltz; October 23, 1994) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Early life

In high school, Perry was a standout competitor in both

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and track & field. In football, he was named to the second-team all-district team in 21-5A. At the 2013 state track & field meet, Wiltz placed third in the long jump and eighth in the

100 meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

College career

Trinity Valley Community College

Following high school, Perry continued his football career at Trinity Valley Community College in

Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the "black-eyed pea, Blac ...

. In his two seasons, they finished 10–2 and was ranked fifth in 2013 and 12–0 and ranked second in 2014. His second season he finished the year with 79 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one interception, and 14

passes defended In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, earning first-team all SWJCFC honors.

Iowa State

After his two years at Trinity Valley, Perry chose to attend

after getting interest from California, Tulsa, and UNLV. He was ranked the eighth-best corner in junior college during that recruiting cycle by ESPN. In his first season at ISU, he played in all 12 games and started seven of them. He made 41 tackles, in addition to averaging 22.6 yards on kick returns. His season-bests were six solo tackles against

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and three tackles with two pass breakups against West Virginia. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

he started 11 of the 12 games and tied the team lead for interceptions with two. In addition, he recorded 49 tackles, two for a loss, and ranked seventh in the Big 12 Conference with 11 pass breakups. Perry's season highlights were eight tackles against

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, seven tackles against

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, and a game-sealing interception against Kansas. At the conclusion of the season he earned the Al and Dean Knudson Award as the team's best defensive player and was named honorable mention All-Big 12. In addition he was invited to compete in the

College Gridiron Showcase The College Gridiron Showcase (CGS) is an independently operated annual post-season college football event hosted each January in Fort Worth, Texas. The event consists of NFL draft prospects who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division I ...

Statistics

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Perry signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017.

New England Patriots

On September 7, 2017, Perry was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. He was released by the Patriots on September 20, 2017 but was re-signed five days later. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Patriots on February 6, 2018. On September 1, 2018, Perry was waived by the Patriots and was signed to the practice squad the next day. Perry won

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

when the Patriots beat the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

13–3.

Miami Dolphins

On February 15, 2019, Perry signed with the Miami Dolphins. He started his first NFL game in week 1 of 2019 against the Baltimore Ravens and recorded his first tackle. In week 9 against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, Perry recorded his first career interception off

Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...

in the 26–18 win. Perry was placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list by the Dolphins on December 9, 2020, and activated on December 18. Perry was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Dolphins on March 8, 2021. He signed the one-year contract on April 14. He was waived on September 1, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 17. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on November 23. On October 25, 2022, Perry was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad. On August 13, 2023, Perry re-signed with the Dolphins. He was released on August 29, 2023.

Michigan Panthers

On January 19, 2024, Perry was signed by the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He was released on March 10, 2024.

Personal

Perry legally changed his name from Jomal Wiltz to Jamal Perry in March 2020.

References

External links

Iowa State Cyclones bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Jamal 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Iowa State Cyclones football players Miami Dolphins players Michigan Panthers (2022) players New England Patriots players North Shore Senior High School (Texas) alumni Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Harris County, Texas 21st-century African-American sportspeople