Why Southwind sophomore QB Kelvin Perkins, already Mr. Football, might just be getting started

NASHVILLE — It didn’t take Jerome Griffin long to notice a special player in his program. 

The Southwind football coach saw Kelvin Perkins throw a flat spiral 20 yards his freshman season and knew he would be his starting quarterback one day.

“When we got to the fifth game of the freshman season, I thought he was ready to move up to junior varsity,” Griffin said. “He threw for 300 yards. He just had it.”  

The sophomore received the Class 5A Mr. Football award at Nissan Stadium on Tuesday. He is Southwind’s first to win the honor and the youngest winner in any classification this year. 

Not long ago, everything he knew about being a quarterback he learned from the Madden NFL video game, he said. 

“I was always able to throw the ball far, but I lacked accuracy,” Perkins said. “I had a hard time reading defenses. But I’m getting used to it, I can read defenses better, I’ve got better accuracy, better mechanics.” 

Perkins completed 147-of-242 passes for 2,860 yards and 46 touchdowns with just two interceptions this season. He also rushed for 583 yards and 11 TDs. That includes the playoffs. The Mr. Football awards only account for regular-season performance. 

The 6-foot, 180-pound QB is setting even loftier goals for 2024.  

“I want 2,000 yards before the regular season’s over,” Perkins said. “I want to improve my completions, improve my interceptions. Even though they (interceptions) were low, I want zero. More touchdowns. I just want more.” 

Much of Southwind’s success hinged on his play. The Jaguars finished 13-1 and reached the state semifinals where they lost to Page, 14-7. 

“I couldn’t have a bad game, that’s what I told myself. I made sure I was ready and locked in every game,” said Perkins, who was a season-best 17-of-27 passing for 330 yards, five TDs and an interception in Southwind’s 36-14 win over Memphis Central. 

More:How film study helped Kelvin Perkins lead Southwind to shutout win over undefeated Munford

Southwind must develop new receivers next year, but by the time Perkins is a senior,  Griffin wouldn’t be surprised to see his quarterback put up record-setting numbers. 

He’s the first sophomore starting quarterback in Griffin’s 22 years as a head coach. In his first career start, he was 11-of-14 passing for 250 yards and four TDs in his first game, a 42-0 win over Ridgeway. 

“He just has a crazy football IQ. He’s super athletic. Just that and being a real coachable kid,” Griffin said of how Perkins developed quickly. “It amazes me sometimes. I don’t think he realizes what he’s accomplished so far.” 

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.