Every other player wore shorts to practice on Aug. 2. Jordan Fisher wore the same pants as Perez, but the junior went for a cooler version by cutting off the legs just below the knee. Perez takes all the credit for Fisher bailing on conventional shorts and going two-thirds of the way to sweatpants.
“I think we’re starting a trend,” joked Perez, who has no better friend on the team than Fisher. They are close although they are both running backs and have competed against each other for playing time. Fisher put any competition to rest in 2025 by rushing for 1,121 yards and eight touchdowns.
This season will be much like the first five for the 23-year-old Perez. He will try to survive on scraps of playing time left by Fisher, Kai Acia and any other running back higher on the depth chart. Finishing the season in one piece regardless of how much he plays would be a nice way to call it a career.
Perez missed nine games last season and seven in 2023 after sustaining ankle injuries that required surgery. He was granted a medical redshirt waiver for each season to be eligible for this season. Perez would not have made all this effort without the blessing of head coach Tim Plough. That did not come easily.
Plough agreed to a meeting and put Perez on the spot by asking the Marin Catholic High graduate what makes him thinks he deserves to return. Perez listened as Plough proceeded to point out how Perez had disappointed the coaches and his teammates by not being fully invested in the program.
Ask any player and he will say Plough will accept nothing less. He also expects juniors and seniors to be leaders. All Perez could do was sit across from Plough and nod his head as Plough explained how Perez had not grown as a player or ever shown an interest in stepping out front to be a leader.
“I felt like I failed the team,” said Perez, who admitted to falling victim to complacency after always being a backup. He no longer felt obligated to stress and strain in practice when there was nothing to gain. Perez did not become bitter as much as he reduced football to a means to further his education.
Perez has certainly made the most of all UC Davis has to offer. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Chicano Studies. Perez had to remain enrolled to play this fall, so he is working toward a master’s degree in management. And he has applied to law school.
A promising future is beckoning, but Perez will put it on hold for one last hurrah with the Aggies. How much he plays does not matter. “I don’t care as long as I’m with the guys,” he said. “I have to repay them for what they’ve given to me. The team has always had my back. I’m doing it for them.”
The meeting with Plough made Perez think about his legacy at UC Davis and would he be nothing more than just a name in the all-time football roster. Whether he plays or not, Perez took all the offseason workouts and practices as an opportunity to show Plough why he is not ready to relinquish his No. 19 jersey.
“I’m not the same person I was,” Perez said. “I had the power to fix the problem. The coaches said they haven’t seen the growth in anybody else that they have seen in me. The tale of this season is not about me. I’m doing it for the team. This is the happiest I’ve ever been. I laugh about it every day.”
