Tulsa commit Marquez Perez enjoys official visit to TU
Marquez Perez, a dynamic athlete from College Station (TX) High School, committed to Tulsa back on July 22, but he wasn’t able to make an official visit to the TU campus until January 26 because he was busy leading his team to a state championship.
After committing to the Golden Hurricane as a wide receiver last summer, the 5-foot-10 and 175-pounder named Tulsa assistant coach Calvin Lowry as a major reason for his decision.
“I just felt like Coach Lowry really wanted me,” Perez told Inside Tulsa Sports in August. “We would talk literally every day about football and just life. Their offense is similar to what we run at my high school, so I know I can use my skill level in this offense.”
At the time, Perez chose Tulsa over offers from Houston, Rice and others, but colleges continued to pursue him. He picked up additional offers from Kansas and Texas State during his senior season, and Bowling Green offered this past weekend.
Despite the increased attention, Perez said at the end of December that it “feels good to be a Tulsa commit.” And after getting an in-depth look at Tulsa’s athletic and academic programs during his official visit, he felt even more comfortable with his commitment.
“It was really good to finally get on campus and see a lot of things. I met the coaching staff and some players to get to know just the background of everything on Tulsa,” he explained. “I could see a great bond between my family and the University. It was a great experience.
“I really like it. It’s not a big school, but it’s not a small school. It’s just a right fit.”
Perez was very impressed with the Golden Hurricane coaches after spending more time with them.
“I like the coaches a lot. I can tell they really wanted me when I first got there and throughout the whole weekend,” he said. “They have a great relationship with my family, which is a big thing for me to have.”
As a senior this season, Perez played mostly at quarterback and led his team to a 14-2 record and a state title. He completed 169-of-255 throws (66%) for 2,366 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had 202 carries for 1,645 yards and 31 scores on the ground, averaging 8.1 yards per rush.
Perez lists route-running, speed and quickness as his biggest strengths as a receiver.
“I can make a short catch and turn it into a touchdown,” he said in August.
Winning a state championship was his biggest goal before the season, and Perez says his team embraced the underdog role in order to climb to the top.
“It felt really good knowing a lot of people were doubting us,” he said. “We used it as motivation going into the (championship) game. We knew all phases had to be on point - offense, defense and special teams.”
Perez will hold his signing day ceremony this Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Tulsa signed 17 prospects in the early signing period and has five additional commitments heading into the regular signing period that begins on February 7.
The Hurricane signed 16 recruits on December 20, including six on offense and ten on defense, and six of those enrolled at mid-term. TU then signed mid-term junior college transfer Jajuan Blankenship on January 12 and also added Baylor transfer quarterback Zach Smith.
Tulsa’s five current commitments include Perez, Bixby OL Josh Owens, Tyler Junior College safety Brandon Johnson, Yuba College safety Tieneal Martin and Westmoore H-back James Palmer, who committed to TU on Saturday.
