The Best QB You've Never Heard Of

Welcome back to the newsletter that loves underdog stories more than ESPN loves gossiping about Taylor Swift.

Today’s edition includes the story of a guy who went from never playing varsity high school football to winning a pro football championship.

Here's what else is coming:

• The pitcher who shot through 4 levels of the minors in 168 days

• Why a 6th-year journeyman QB is the coolest story in football

• The big headline every major sports outlet got wrong

Let’s dive in.

The Baltimore Orioles just clinched their first AL East title since 2014. Who led their pitching staff in wins in that ‘14 season?

• A) Ubaldo Jiménez

• B) Wei-Yin Chen

• C) Jake Arrieta

• D) Bud Norris

The answer is at the end of this email! Look for the ⭐ emoji.

(Thanks to subscriber Marty B. for this week’s trivia question!)

Meet The Best QB You’ve Never Heard Of

Luis Perez never played a single down of varsity football in high school.

In fact, he stopped playing the sport altogether after seeing little action as a JV player.

Instead, he got pretty good at a different sport – bowling. And for a short time, he considered seriously pursuing it.

But one night changed everything.

In his senior year of high school, Luis’ friends invited him to watch the final football game of the season.

Watching the game as a fan, he came to a harsh realization.

“I almost shed a tear just from being up there in the stands, looking down, watching everybody run out of the tunnel,” Perez said in a 2018 interview.

“Looking to my left and my right…I just knew I didn’t belong in the stands. It’s really a hard feeling to understand…but I knew at that moment that I had to pursue the NFL. I had to.”

So he started researching how to play quarterback.

He watched YouTube videos to learn the basics and sought out coaches who were more than willing to help.

“I mean I knew nothing about playing quarterback…all I knew was I could throw a football,” he said.

“I didn’t know fronts, I didn’t know coverages, I didn’t know how to take a five-step drop, I mean I didn’t know any of that stuff.”

He trained hard, gaining more confidence each day. But when he walked on at Southwestern Community College – a local JUCO – Perez faced another roadblock.

Head coach Ed Carberry advised him to switch positions.

According to Carberry, quarterback probably wasn’t the best fit.

But Perez refused.

Instead, he accepted the challenge of starting as the 9th of 9 QBs on the depth chart.

“It motivated me,” Perez said. “My goal is to be an NFL quarterback, so it made me realize that I had to make moves to improve my game tremendously.”

Throughout that summer, Luis put in the work. He kept his head down as other players switched positions, got hurt, or transferred out.

Eventually, he worked his way into the backup role. Then, in the middle of the season, their starter went down.

Perez finally got his shot.

In his first start, he threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score.

Despite next to no experience playing competitive football, he put together a flawless first game at the college level.

It was a testament to his work ethic – and his hunger to learn and grow.

“After practice, he would have a couple of guys running routes,” said SWC receivers coach Anuyell Goodwin.

“If there were routes he felt like he did not hit on point in practice, he would work those routes after practice.”

A broken leg ended his first season after just three games.

But he came back stronger the next year, leading Southwestern to a conference championship.

That’s when he started attracting attention from bigger programs.

With a few offers to choose from, he settled on Division II Texas A&M University-Commerce.

In two seasons there, he threw for 8,327 yards and 78 touchdowns.

In his senior year, he won the Harlon Hill Trophy – awarded to the best player in D2 football – after throwing for 5,001 yards and 46 touchdowns.

And he capped it off by leading his team to a national championship.

“That is why you work out every day,” Perez said.

“That’s why you do all the running, getting under that squat rack, and you keep pushing after it hurts. It is all for that one moment.”

Despite the accolades, Luis Perez was not selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

But a few weeks later, the Rams signed him as an undrafted free agent.

He made it through several rounds of cuts until the Rams released him after the final game of the preseason.

After bouncing around a few NFL practice squads, he competed in almost every spring football league that’s popped up since 2019:

• The Alliance of American Football

• The XFL 2.0

• The Spring League

• The USFL

• The XFL 3.0

He’s the only quarterback to win games in each of those leagues.

In 2023, he landed in the newly rebooted XFL – opening the season for the Vegas Vipers.

But six games into the season, Vegas traded him to the Arlington Renegades for a linebacker.

Once again, Perez proved the doubters wrong.

He turned the lowly Renegades into a playoff team.

“He’s a galvanizing guy,” said head coach Bob Stoops. “He really brought the team together. He’s a natural true leader.”

Perez erupted in the playoffs, throwing for 577 yards and 6 touchdowns, and leading Arlington to an upset victory in the XFL Championship.

“Don’t give up,” he said, as the confetti rained down. “Keep your faith, stay grounded, and just keep going.”

But the NFL still lingers in his mind.

And Luis Perez is doing everything in his power to earn another chance at his dream.

“I’ve been so close,” Perez said.

“If that’s my dream and aspiration, why would I ever quit when I’m that close? Quitting is not even a thought. Like, it’s not even an option for me.”

POWERED BY: Down To Football

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The backstory: Orion Kerkering posted a 5.72 ERA in his final year at USF. 151 players were drafted ahead of him in 2022.

He entered 2023 as the #25-ranked prospect in the Phillies' system.

But instead of worrying about his status in the organization, Kerkering took a different approach.

"I call it a [F] it mentality,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Don’t stress about promotions. If it’s supposed to happen, it’ll happen.”

And it worked.

The right-hander rocketed through 4 levels of the minors in 168 days.

On September 22nd, the Phillies promoted him to the 5th and final level: the big leagues.

In his MLB debut, the 22-year-old struck out 2 of 3 batters in a flawless inning – making his dad extremely proud in the process.

🏈 Haley Van Voorhis took the national spotlight for her historic accomplishment in college football. But it turns out, big sports media got it wrong. She isn’t the only one. [D3 Football]

🔥 “It's been a crazy 10 months.” Joshua Dobbs is on fire. The journeyman QB is on his 6th NFL team in 6 years, and he’s making every moment count. [AZ Cardinals]

⚾️ What’s it like to be a 1st-round draft pick at 18 years old? Ahead of Cal Ripken, no less. That’s one of the many questions I asked World Series Champion Buddy Biancalana in our exclusive interview. [Joker Mag]

⭐ Trivia Answer:

B) Wei-Yin Chen – he pitched in the big leagues until 2020 when he was the highest-paid player in MLB despite being released before the season.

Thanks for reading! 🤝 

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Have a great October 1st 🎃 and enjoy the football games!

Til next time,
Tyler

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Extra Innings…

• Bryce Harper got ejected and tossed his helmet into the stands. Here’s the hilarious interview with the little kid who caught it.

• Non-sports article of the week: This "exclusive" NYC steakhouse was actually an inside joke among friends. Except for one night.

• Fun find: You can now get a shot glass made out of a baseball bat handle. And it’s (almost) free*

• This moment with Miguel Rojas is amazing. Meanwhile, some of us can't even walk while looking at our phones...

• If you made it all the way down here: you’re the best! Here’s my favorite picture 👇 I’ve ever been sent by a subscriber (appreciate you, Tom!) Think you can top this? Grab your own Underdog Mentality merch and take your best shot!

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