'The most unique quarterback story I've ever heard': How Luis Perez became 'The Spring King'

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Luis Perez was similar a batch of young boys. His imagination was to beryllium an NFL quarterback. He remembers sleeping with a shot erstwhile helium was little.

But the way that helium hopes volition instrumentality him to the NFL 1 time -- adjacent astatine 30 years aged -- is dissimilar immoderate different and has small to bash with him being the starting backmost for the UFL's Arlington Renegades oregon an alum of The Spring League, the USFL, the Alliance of American Football and the archetypal XFL.

That way was truthful unbelievable that Perez wrote an autobiography, "The Spring King," which was released past week. The rubric is an motion to the nickname helium was fixed for his occurrence successful the outpouring nonrecreational leagues.

"I conscionable consciousness similar I'd bash a disservice to radical retired determination if I don't stock my communicative and everything I went through," said Perez, whose Renegades (1-0) play the Houston Roughnecks (0-1) connected Sunday (noon ET, ESPN/ESPN+). "I support reasoning it tin positively interaction a batch of radical and alteration lives."

Renegades choky extremity Sal Cannella has been Perez's teammate for the past 3 years. Even though helium knows Perez's background, helium inactive can't comprehend it.

"It seems similar it's going to crook into a Netflix documentary oregon thing astatine 1 point," Cannella said. "It's got to. It's conscionable 1 of those stories that astir feels similar fiction, you know, wherever you couldn't judge it. But the information that it is existent conscionable makes you respect him adjacent more."

PEREZ PLAYED SOME backmost increasing up successful younker football, but helium was besides a choky extremity and violative lineman. He ne'er played varsity shot astatine Otay Ranch High School successful Chula Vista, California. Instead, helium was an accomplished bowler. He had 12 cleanable games. He could person gone to assemblage connected a bowling scholarship.

As helium watched his friends play their past precocious schoolhouse shot game, it reignited his backmost dream.

"I knew I could ever spell backmost to bowling," Perez said. "It's similar riding a bike. You tin vessel erstwhile you're 50, 60 years old. Your model to marque it to the NFL is truthful small. You can't hold connected that dream."

He went to YouTube to larn however to play quarterback. Yes, YouTube.

"I don't cognize a backmost coach, I don't cognize however to adjacent get ahold of these people, truthful I'm like, 'Let maine get connected YouTube,' and I started watching basal cardinal tutorials," Perez said. "All I knew is I could propulsion a bully spiral and I had a large arm. That's it."

For hours helium would ticker highlights of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. He bought a full-length reflector to marque definite his signifier was similar theirs. He would signifier taking five-step drops successful his bedroom.

He did that for 4 oregon 5 months erstwhile helium hooked up with Akili Smith, the erstwhile No. 3 wide prime of the Cincinnati Bengals successful 1999 who had go a backmost trainer.

"After that clip with Akili, I was like, 'Hey, what bash I bash from present on? I privation to go an NFL quarterback, usher maine wherever to go,'" Perez said.

SMITH TOLD HIM astir Southwestern College, a inferior assemblage successful Chula Vista. Perez remembers walking into manager Ed Carberry's bureau and saying helium was going to beryllium his starting quarterback.

"Where did you play? Where's your tape?" helium said Carberry asked him.

When Perez told him helium did not play precocious schoolhouse football, Carberry laughed.

"He said, 'Practice is astatine truthful and truthful a time. It's inferior assemblage truthful I can't chopped you, but you tin travel and effort out,'" Perez said. "That's however it started."

When helium showed up for the archetypal practice, helium was the ninth backmost connected the extent chart.

"I'm the archetypal 1 there, past 1 to leave, and I'm not getting immoderate reps to effort and larn the plays," helium said.

With players leaving schoolhouse oregon choosing different sports, helium moved up to No. 4 connected the list. In autumn camp, helium won the backup spot. In the 4th crippled of the season, starter Frank Foster suffered a enarthrosis injury, forcing Perez into the game. He threw a touchdown walk successful Southwestern's win.

In the cleanable script, helium would person been the starter for good.

"Oh, no, no, no. There's much to it," Perez said.

Of course.

He suffered a breached limb a fewer games aboriginal and missed the remainder of the season. He would not beryllium capable to get backmost connected the tract until summertime camp. By past Tofi Paopao, a prima astatine Oceanside High School earlier attending Florida International, transferred into Southwestern, and would beryllium the starter. Paopao got wounded and Perez took implicit arsenic the starter. He finished the play with 18 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions, splitting clip with Paopao.

But determination were nary assistance offers erstwhile the play ended until a last-minute connection from UC-Davis. But that was pulled aft they told him helium did not person a transferrable mathematics people from Southwestern.

Devastated, Perez took to the net again. He checked to spot if Division II quarterbacks person made it to the NFL. He recovered the sanction Dustin Vaughan, who starred astatine West Texas A&M and spent clip with the Cowboys. Colby Carthel was an adjunct astatine West Texas A&M and took implicit the occupation astatine Texas A&M Commerce, truthful helium called Carthel.

THE COACHES WENT to California to spot Perez enactment retired and offered him a scholarship. He redshirted his archetypal twelvemonth and became the starter for 2 seasons. In 2016, helium acceptable a schoolhouse grounds for touchdown passes (32) and took Commerce to the Division II playoffs wherever they mislaid to Grand Valley State successful the semifinals.

In his last season, the Lions won the nationalist championship. He threw for 5,001 yards and had 46 touchdown passes. He won the Harlon Hill Trophy winner, the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

He played successful the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, winning the starting occupation implicit Michigan's John O'Korn and TCU's Kenny Hill, but helium did not person an invitation to the NFL combine. He threw astatine Texas A&M's pro time with Johnny Manziel arsenic the erstwhile Heisman Trophy victor was attempting a comeback.

"I get to propulsion against a first-round pick, and they tin spot what I'm like," Perez said. "That enactment maine connected the map."

But helium would not get drafted. Two weeks later, helium did not adjacent person an invitation to a rookie campy erstwhile the Los Angeles Rams called. A backmost backed retired of their camp.

"I spell propulsion and I termination it," Perez said. "I astir apt had 1 of the champion throwing days I've had. And I retrieve Les Snead, the GM, helium brings maine successful and tells me, 'You truly impressed me. We're going to motion you.' And that was my opportunity."

Five years aft starting his travel connected YouTube, Perez was an NFL backmost -- for astir 4 months. He was chopped by the Rams astatine the extremity of grooming camp. Two weeks into the season, helium was released from the signifier squad.

Since then, Perez has had little stops with different teams: the Philadelphia Eagles for 3 weeks successful the outpouring of 2019 and 4 days with the Detroit Lions aboriginal that summer. In 2022, helium had different tally with the Rams that ended during grooming camp.

Last summer, aft starring the UFL successful passing yards and touchdowns, helium was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers. He played the 2nd fractional of the 2nd preseason crippled but was among their last cuts aft the Chargers traded for Taylor Heinicke.

"I mean you're that close, but you effort not to dwell connected the adversity," Perez said. "Five oregon six years ago, I would've been devastated. That's my hometown team. Now? It's like, 'OK, I didn't marque it, what americium I going to bash to beryllium amended truthful I tin marque it the adjacent time?' That's conscionable my mindset."

SPRING FOOTBALL HAS kept his NFL imagination alive.

He tin recite his resume twelvemonth by year.

Birmingham successful the AAF successful 2019. Los Angeles Wildcats successful the archetypal XFL and traded to the New York Guardians earlier the league unopen down for COVID successful 2020. The Spring League successful 2021, winning the Mega Bowl with the Jousters.

In 2022, helium played for the USFL's New Jersey Generals. The pursuing twelvemonth it was backmost to the XFL with the Vegas Vipers earlier helium was traded to the Renegades.

He led the Renegades to an XFL championship.

"We weren't a existent cohesive team, and we were struggling earlier we got him with 4 games to go, and helium truly galvanized our shot team," Arlington violative coordinator Chuck Long said. "He brought everybody together, got everybody connected the aforesaid leafage and brought a batch of affirmative vigor and took america to a championship."

Long was runner-up to Bo Jackson for the Heisman Trophy successful 1985 arsenic Iowa's quarterback. He was a first-round prime of the Detroit Lions. He coached Josh White to a Heisman Trophy and Josh Heupel to a nationalist title astatine Oklahoma. For the past 3 seasons, helium has reunited with manager Bob Stoops successful Arlington.

"It's the astir unsocial backmost communicative I've ever heard," Long said of Perez's journey. "And I've heard a batch of them. ... He's truly beardown willed and he's conscionable willed himself to occurrence successful learning the crippled of football."

Cannella has had a akin nonrecreational way arsenic Perez. He became alert of him erstwhile they played against each different successful The Spring League. In betwixt abbreviated runs with a fistful of NFL teams, Cannella has besides played successful the XFL, USFL and UFL.

Last year, helium led UFL choky ends successful catches (53), yards (497) and touchdowns (six) with Perez arsenic his quarterback. It earned him a declaration with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wherever helium was among their last cuts past summer.

"He's astir apt the smartest backmost I've ever played with," Cannella said. "Just from however helium prepares, being with him each day, seeing however helium analyzes the game, his day-to-day enactment ethic, speechmaking defenses, wherefore he's choosing this broadside of the (route) conception to the other, it's truly impressive."

Perez turns 31 successful August. He and his wife, Brenda, person 2 children. He knows radical deliberation the likelihood are against him, but helium volition not stop.

"Every twelvemonth I inquire myself, 'Do I bask getting up astatine 4 o'clock successful the morning? Do I bask moving out, training? Yes. Am I inactive playing astatine a precocious level? Yes. Am I injured? No," Perez said. "So I'm good. So I'm conscionable going to proceed to support playing. My extremity is to spell to the NFL. I'm not conscionable doing it for the amusive of it. Obviously, it is amusive to me, but my extremity is to spell to the NFL and supply for my household a amended life. And, yeah, that's benignant of wherever it's at."