TCU safety Mark Perry signs with Miami Dolphins, nets $15,000 signing bonus
Even though he didn’t hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft, former TCU safety Mark Perry found a home in the National Football League. Shortly after the draft, the former Horned Frogs star analyzed his options and decided to sign an undrafted free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins.
According to Aaron Wilson, he landed a $15,000 signing bonus in the deal. And it was a heavy bidding war with several different franchises. Perry was selected to play in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl. Before his final two seasons at TCU, he suited up for the Colorado Buffaloes.
This season, he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors for the Horned Frogs, after racking up 58 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Perry had a season-high of eight tackles in their 34-17 win over the SMU Mustangs. He also tallied seven tackles against Texas and six in their wins over Nicholls State and Baylor.
In 2022, he ranked second on TCU with 84 total tackles. Perry played in all 15 games that year, making 14 starts. His 6.5 tackles for loss ranked fifth on the team. Once again, he had another excellent performance against SMU, racking up a season-high and team-best nine tackles, including one tackle for loss, in their 42-34 win against the Mustangs. Perry played a critical role in the Horned Frogs’ 17-10 win over the Texas Longhorns, tallying five solo tackles and one tackle for loss, as the TCU defense limited the ‘Horns to just 199 yards of total offense.
In 2021 when he played for the Colorado Buffaloes, he played in all 12 games, snatching a team-best three interceptions. He also ranked third on CU with 72 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Against the USC Trojans, Perry tallied a career-high 11 tackles and a fumble recovery on 55 snaps. In 2020, he played in all five regular season games for the Buffaloes, before missing the Alamo Bowl. In 2019, Perry saw action as a true freshman, playing in the final nine games of the year.
In high school, Perry played for Rancho Cucamonga (Rancho Cucamonga, California), the same high school that produced Houston Texans star QB C.J. Stroud. He was rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 850 overall prospect in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2019 cycle. The California native was named MVP and they won the league championship his senior year. As a running back, he rushed for 905 yards and 14 touchdowns on 8.7 yards per carry. As a receiver, he hauled in 13 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
