Temple center C.J. Perez grateful for a sixth year of college football

Temple center C.J. Perez has taken quite a journey in college football, and because of the NCAA’s ruling that last season didn’t count on a player’s eligibility, he has gotten one final chance to prolong his playing career.

Many colleges will have older players in their programs this year with many opting for a sixth season because of the effects of the coronavirus. There are some even eligible for a seventh.

Perez is at his third school but finishing up yet another degree.

Temple has seven players who are entering their sixth college season. Four of them have spent all their time with the Owls: safety Amir Tyler, receiver Randle Jones, linebacker William Kwenkeu, and cornerback Freddie Johnson.

Perez is among three others who started at another school and are now in their sixth season. The others are defensive end Manny Walker, who began his career at Wake Forest, and offensive lineman Michael Niese (Dayton).

Perez started his career at Shawnee Community College in Kansas. He redshirt one season and in his second year he was an all-conference choice. He then transferred to Northern Illinois, where he played his first year in 2018 under current Temple coach Rod Carey.

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Perez played the 2018 and 2019 seasons at NIU, where he earned his undergraduate degree and departed for Temple as a graduate transfer before last season.

Temple was among many college teams hit hard by COVID-19 last season. The Owls eventually had their season cut one game short against Cincinnati because COVID cases at both schools.

Temple finished 1-6 and it wasn’t what Perez had envisioned when he enrolled, especially for a program that earned a school-record five straight bowl berths before last season. So now Perez and veterans throughout college football are able to at least earn an extra season of playing.

“That is huge,” Perez said during a Zoom interview last month while Temple was still involved in spring practice. “Right now I would be back home probably working a job, so this opportunity is huge.”

Perez has also made the most of his extra chance academically. While so much is focused on being able to play another year, the extension has allowed him to add another degree.

He plans to graduate in December from Temple’s Fox School of Business with a master’s degree.

“That is the biggest blessing and I hear that from my parents all the time,” he said about the academic opportunity he was afforded. “I was the first in my family to graduate from college. The fact I will be able to graduate from college with not one degree but two is a huge thing. I know my parents are very proud of that and very excited.”

On the football side, Perez was one of only Temple five players who started every game last season.

» READ MORE: A concussion pushed Temple QB Trad Beatty to quit football for a better life after the game

The 6-foot-1, 295-pound Perez enjoyed a strong season. Pro Football Focus, named him a second-team all-American Athletic Conference center.

While his height isn’t ideal for the next level, he now gets another season to audition before NFL scouts. One thing that can’t be measured is his leadership. Even though he joined the program before last season, he quickly became a player his teammates looked up to.

“C.J. can be very calming to those guys, especially going into year six in college football,” Temple offensive line coach Joe Tripodi said. “He has been through the battles and played a lot of college football. He has taken a leadership role, not only in the [offensive line] room but on the offensive side of the football.”

Carey a former college center at Indiana, added, “The guys in the room have really responded to C.J.”

And most of all, Perez is happy to lead, ecstatic to play college football one more season.

“I didn’t want to be anywhere else,” Perez said. “I really wanted the opportunity to come back.”