NFL
Who is Luis Perez, the Vegas Vipers QB in the XFL?
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sports7 in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
All posts by Tim CreanUpdated04 Mar 2023
There are a lot of familiar names and faces in the new XFL. Most of the well-known players come from some level of NFL career. However, a player you may not know is the starting quarterback of the Vegas Vipers, Luis Perez. The XFL franchise’s QB never played varsity high school football but has been on several NFL rosters and played in preseason games and several Spring football leagues. Here is what you need to know about the question, who is Luis Perez?
Who is Luis Perez?
Vegas Vipers QB Luis Perez is a name you probably don’t know but should get familiar with as the XFL season goes on.
Perez has one of the most unusual paths to professional football you’ll ever hear about.
He played JV football at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, California, before quitting after coaches moved him to tight end. After that, Perez walked on to play QB at Southwestern Community College before transferring to Division II Texas A&M-Commerce.
In his final season at A&M-Commerce, Perez threw for an incredible 5,001 yards with 47 TDs and a 70.6% completion rate. Those sky-high numbers led to a Harlon Hill Trophy (the Division II Heisman) and a national championship.
Perez then went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft but signed with the Los Angeles Rams, playing in the preseason. In 2019, he signed with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions without playing and again spent time with the Rams in 2022.
In between, Perez played in all manner of Spring football leagues. He’s taken snaps for the Birmingham Iron in the Alliance of American Football, the Los Angeles Wildcats and New York Guardians in the last iteration of the XFL, the TSL Jouster in The Spring League, and the New Jersey Generals in the USFL.
This season, Luis Perez is starting for the Vegas Vipers in the XFL, having beat out former NFL QB Brett Hundley.
Can Luis Perez be an NFL QB?
The Vegas Vipers QB has good size at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, and it’s hard to deny throwing for over 5,000 yards at any level of football, as Luis Perez did in his last year of college. He also has accuracy and is smart about where he goes with the ball on a given play.
On the downside, Perez doesn’t have the arm strength to make all the throws at the NFL level. Plus, he’s been in camps and minicamps with four three different NFL teams (and with the Rams twice) but hasn’t impressed enough to even stick as a long-term practice squad player.
At 28, Luis Perez likely has no future as an NFL QB.
Now the question is, can Perez be an XFL starter for the Vegas Vipers?
In Week 1 of the XFL season, Perez played well in a close 22-20 loss to the Arlington Renegades. He was 22-of-36 or 249 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The QB also took three sacks.
Week 2 wasn’t as good. Perez was ineffective in a rain-soaked 18-6 loss to the DC Defenders. After a 1-of-5 start for one passing yard, head coach Rod Woodson had a quick hook and brought former NFL QB Brett Hundley in at the end of the first quarter.
Heading into the Week 3 game against the Seattle Sea Dragons, it is unclear who the Vipers' starter is, although Luis Perez is still listed as the starter on the team’s depth chart.
