Bryce Perkins did not have a good first day at the University.
He arrived as a transfer from Arizona Western Community College in January 2018, ahead of his junior season. It was a snowy day on Grounds — the first time that Perkins, an Arizona native, had ever seen snow. It was difficult to drive around. Perkins ended up turning a corner too tightly, and bumped the curb. He lost a hubcap.
Fast forward two years later, and it is safe to say that things turned around quite nicely for Perkins. Virginia became a home — and it still is today, even while his quarterbacking career has taken him to Los Angeles and Detroit. The latter location is home to the Michigan Panthers, with whom Perkins is a leading candidate for the United Football League’s MVP award.
Perkins, just like the Cavalier program, has faced more than his fair share of adversity. But when things get tough, Perkins responds by being even tougher. And that theme is a hallmark of all those who don the V-Sabre.
“I think the connections and just the love you get from everybody who's going to U.Va. is definitely special,” Perkins said. “Because it's a hard school to get into, and it's prestigious and everything like that. So being able to share that common ground with people who graduate as well is definitely special.”
Perkins was pretty special too. He was Virginia’s starting quarterback from 2018 to 2019 and helped Virginia beat South Carolina in the Belk Bowl in 2018. That was just the eighth time the Cavaliers won a bowl game in program history, which spans over 125 years. Perkins also led the Cavaliers to a win over Virginia Tech in his senior year, which remains the only time Virginia has beaten the Hokies on the gridiron in 21 years.
Perkins also took Virginia to a New Year’s Six bowl appearance versus No. 9 Florida in the Orange Bowl. The Cavaliers lost that game but were just nine points away from upsetting the Gators. Not too shabby.
All in all, he ranks second all-time in school history for total offensive yards, fourth in passing touchdowns and is tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns. Clearly, the program flourished when Perkins was part of it, and he was heralded as a savior of the program.
“Anytime a Wahoo, a Cavalier, is doing anything — beyond, within, around the school — the amount of love and support that fellow U.Va. alums and students show brings everything to peak performance,” Perkins said. “U.Va. is strong, always. And you know, one thing that U.Va. knows how to do is stand together.”
With that support in tow, Perkins transformed his college stardom into an NFL career. It would not be easy though. He was undervalued heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, as few outlets had him pegged as a potential draft selection. But a few months before the draft was even slated to occur, the entire world was derailed by COVID-19. Perkins went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and was left without a safety net in the pandemic-riddled chaos.
“There's a lot of things that didn't go ‘right,’” Perkins said. “I didn't have Pro Day. It was COVID. [I then had to] be resilient through that to the draft, and be resilient through that [as well]. And then, you know, even not signing with an NFL team, [I had to] be resilient.”
That resiliency carried Perkins through the arduous work of battling on an NFL practice squad. The Los Angeles Rams picked him up as an undrafted free agent in 2020, but Perkins did not make an appearance until 2022.
Finally, Perkins appeared in five games after a few other Rams quarterbacks were sidelined due to injury. Unfortunately, his stint in the NFL ended after the 2022 season once two of those quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford and John Wolford, returned to health.
Perkins was left without an opportunity to continue playing professional football, but he stayed patient.
“Resilience and growth has been kind of a constant theme in my life,” Perkins said.
That statement rings true throughout his entire football career. Perkins was ranked as the 20th best high school quarterback in the Class of 2015 but received just four Power Five offers — UCLA, Northwestern, Arizona and Arizona State. He elected to stay home and play for Arizona State but had to redshirt his freshman year. He then missed his entire redshirt freshman season due to a fractured neck.
He was in a difficult position. He was recovering from a serious injury and was highly unlikely to unseat starter Manny Wilkins. So, in 2017, Perkins played at Arizona Western Community College, and he played well enough to capture the attention of Virginia and then-Coach Bronco Mendenhall. After he joined the Cavaliers in 2018, Perkins revived his football career and ultimately became one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks.
Fast forward to 2024, and Perkins revived his football career again — this time with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL. He currently ranks inside the league’s top three leaders in passing yards, passing touchdowns, quarterback rushing yards and touchdowns as well as passing grade and quarterback rushing grade from Pro Football Focus. His 2025 campaign is impressive, especially considering that the UFL is no amateur league.
The UFL is a startup professional spring football league created by Dwayne Johnson, Fox Sports and other partners. It is not nearly as popular as the NFL, but it has been rather successful considering that other attempts at a spring league have failed. In fact, tons of UFL alumni make it to the NFL each year.
“I think the [UFL] games are exciting, and it means a lot just to be able to continue the career and then keep playing,” Perkins said. “And everybody has hopes to go back to the [NFL] or get their first shot in the league.”
Perkins continues to live out his dream of playing professional football, but he is still forever connected to his wonderful two years at Virginia.
Some alumni seldom return to visit, but even though more than five years have passed since his final game in the orange and blue, Perkins still checks in on the program. Despite the Cavaliers’ struggles as of late, Perkins believes the future is bright.
Interestingly enough, the Cavaliers are in a position not too dissimilar to Perkins’ old days. Virginia just brought in a new transfer quarterback, graduate Chandler Morris, and just like in 2018, a relatively new offensive personnel will hit the field for the Cavaliers. According to Perkins, this year might just be a fruitful one.
“Every time I come and talk to [Coach Tony Elliott], he talks about ‘We want to do it the right way.’ So it speaks to the integrity of him, and it falls in line with U.Va. as a whole. You know who U.Va. is and what they stand for, and how they go about business.”
Perkins will continue to write the latest chapter of his football career, but it is easy for him to look back at his alma mater with pride — and a hope for the future. A hope that his dear old Virginia will return to its old glory and a hope, that, above all else, fuels that same resilience and growth that he himself once found.
“As long as you love the sport of football, man, go and play,” Perkins said.
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