Hurricanes QB N’Kosi Perry says he’s ‘a lot more mature’ after tumultuous 2018 season

When he was introduced as the Hurricanes’ new coach a little more than three months ago, Manny Diaz was clear— everyone on Miami’s roster would be given a clean slate, a fresh start and a chance to compete.

It was a message that more than likely hit home with N’Kosi Perry.

Just weeks earlier, Perry had found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

As Miami prepared to close out its season in the Pinstripe Bowl against Wisconsin, UM’s school newspaper — the Miami Hurricane — reported the existence of sexually explicit video posted to one of Perry’s social-media accounts. While Miami never named Perry in a statement shortly thereafter, the school did acknowledge officials had spoken with a “student-athlete” about the existence of an “inappropriate” video and the incident had been addressed.

Considering that was Perry’s second significant social-media incident in recent months, questions arose about whether Perry — who spent most of the 2018 season alternating starts with redshirt senior Malik Rosier — would play in Miami’s season finale or whether he’d be suspended, the way he was for UM’s opener after violating an undisclosed rule during the offseason.

Rosier got the start against Wisconsin, but after he struggled, former Hurricanes coach Mark Richt put Perry in the game, hoping as he’d hoped so many times before during this turbulent season that a quarterback switch might spark the Hurricanes’ sputtering offense.

It didn’t work on that cold December night against Wisconsin and the Hurricanes capped their underwhelming season with a 35-3 loss to the Badgers that had most around Miami’s program wondering about the Hurricanes’ future.

Three days later, Richt abruptly resigned, Diaz — who had accepted the head coaching job at Temple weeks earlier — was named Miami’s new coach and less than a week after that, Diaz stood in front of boosters, fans, reporters and television cameras and vowed to fix Miami’s quarterback situation.

That meant hiring former Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos. It’s meant recruiting Ohio State transfer Tate Martell and giving Jarren Williams an opportunity to show what he can do.

And it’s meant giving the one quarterback with the most collegiate experience on Miami’s roster the opportunity to prove he’s a changed player ready to do what is expected of him both on and off the field.

And Perry — who started six games last season and completed 51 percent of his passes for 1,091 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions — says he’s ready to show both Diaz and Enos he can get the job done.

“I definitely see myself as a starter and a big difference for me from last year is I feel I’m a lot more mature on the field and I know how to work with guys. Like my teammates, if they need anything, they can come to me,” Perry said last week.

When pressed about whether he’d heeded Diaz’s message about Miami’s quarterback job being about more than what is merely done on the field, Perry nodded.

“Like you said, it’s 24/7. Or like Coach Diaz said. It’s 24/7, 365 days of the year. You’re always working. You’re always a quarterback. Everyone is going to look at you as the quarterback. So you have to be on your Ps and Qs at all times. … I definitely learned from experience. I definitely learned [from last season] and I understand that it wasn’t acceptable for me and especially for my teammates. I feel like I disrespected them and I let them down. I don’t want to do that anymore.”

Like Martell and Williams, Perry has had to make adjustments while working with Enos, who is incorporating a system markedly different from the one Miami ran under Richt last season.

The Hurricanes will be using more traditional cadence while on offense, so that infamous clap before the ball was snapped, Perry noted, will be gone. And Perry said improving his footwork has been a priority.

Every expectation is that the Hurricanes’ quarterback race will likely go on beyond spring drills, but those around him say they’ve seen Perry improve, though Enos has made it clear all three of Miami’s quarterbacks still have work to do.

Perry has worked, too, he says, to become a more vocal leader. In one practice this week, he unflinchingly and loudly asked receiver Mike Harley to pick up his game and catch the ball after Harley had a series of dropped passes.

“N’Kosi’s doing 10 times better. Mature. I just feel like Kosi’s just trusting the process, going through life smooth and I’m ready for him to play as well. Can’t wait to see him,” Harley said of the quarterback earlier this spring.

Whether all of that leads to Perry reclaiming the starting job remains to be seen.

But for now, the quarterback says he’s intent on doing what he’s asked.

“I’ve always got a chip on my shoulder, but I’m focusing on myself,” he said. “I feel I’m my own competition.”

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