Perkins Makes Smooth Transition to Indoor League
Published on June 2, 2011 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA - In the state of Texas, football is religion. From Fridays through Sundays, football captivates and sometimes shuts down entire communities. Philadelphia Soul linebacker Brandon Perkins, a Houston native, grew up in an athletic family and was raised into this culture as a child.
His grandfather, Willis Perkins, played for the Houston Oilers and Boston Patriots of the old AFL, the American Football League, and was a member of the Oilers AFL championship team in 1961.
Brandon followed in his grandfather's footsteps and became a star linebacker at Eisenhower High School in Houston, where he was a three-year letterman. He was recruited by the big football schools in Texas and traditional football powerhouse Florida State, but chose to go to the traditional basketball powerhouse in Kansas.
"I wanted to go somewhere where I thought I was going to play right away," said Brandon.
Brandon made an impact as he played as a true freshman under Jayhawk Head Coach Mark Mangino. He finished his career tied for second on the school's all-time career sacks list with 20.
Brandon helped the traditional basketball school reach two bowl games, including a 42-13 victory in the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl, ironically over the University of Houston.
"While I was there, we tried to change it around a little bit and get some wins, some bowl game appearances, but it was definitely a basketball school and they got all the love," said Brandon.
Despite a promising college career, injuries thwarted Brandon's chances at the NFL. He still got a chance to play professional football like his grandfather when the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League reached out to him for a tryout. The Avengers liked what they saw in the former Jayhawk and signed him to the team.
Making the transition to the indoor game is tough for any player, but it is especially difficult for linebackers with the "mac" and "jack" linebacker rules to adjust to. In Arena Football, only the "mac" linebacker is allowed to blitz while the "jack" linebacker is more of a coverage position.
Brandon made the necessary adjustments and was a mainstay on the Avengers defense. During his two seasons in Los Angeles in 2007-08, he recorded 83 tackles and five sacks.
"I try to make it like the outdoor game as much as possible because football is football," said Brandon. "It's a lot more fan friendly. The fans can really get you more amped during the game than they can during an outdoor game because they're right up on you."
After spending 2009 in training camp with the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders, Brandon came back to the AFL with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz in 2010 where he recorded 14.5 tackles.
Outside of football, Brandon keeps himself very busy. He aspires to be a business man and is in the process of getting his own construction business up and running. He also runs annual football camps for high school students, but said he is trying to expand to younger students as well.
"I really want to be my own boss one day," said Brandon. "I don't want to work for somebody."
Along with building things with his construction business, Brandon hopes to be a part of the building process of bringing another championship to the city of Philadelphia.
"We're not all the way out of it yet, we've got to keep fighting," said Brandon. "Let's take it one game at a time."
Arena Football League Stories from June 2, 2011
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- Shock Bobble Heads Hitting the Divine's Conoco June 6th - Spokane Shock
- Soul Seek Revenge Against Division Rival Mustangs - Philadelphia Soul
- Arizona Rattlers Face Talented Offensive Unit in Utah - Arizona Rattlers
- What to Watch for in New Orleans - Jacksonville Sharks
- Perkins Makes Smooth Transition to Indoor League - Philadelphia Soul
- Predators Enter Weekend Ranked No. 4 in Coaches' Poll - Orlando Predators
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