CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State football head coach Jonathan Smith announced Monday that he has appointed former collegiate standout Anthony Perkins as the team’s cornerbacks coach.
“I’m excited to have Coach Perkins join our family,” Smith said. “He has had a great deal of success as both a coach and student-athlete and I expect that to have a big impact with our cornerbacks. He will be a great addition to our coaching staff.”
“Corvallis is a special place and there are phenomenal people here,” Perkins said. “My family and I are very thankful for Coach Smith and the opportunity to be a part of Beaver Nation.”
Perkins comes to Corvallis from Colorado State, where he spent three seasons as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach. A 2010 Colorado graduate, he helped CSU to one of the biggest defensive turnarounds in school history upon his arrival in 2019. The Rams gave up 50 fewer yards per game through the air in 2019, and were ranked seventh nationally for passing defense. It marked the program’s best ranking in at least 30 years and CSU led the MWC for the first time since 2005.
He mentored Marshaun Cameron during the 2020 season, and helped the corner to one of the nation’s top grades by Pro Football Focus and First-Team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
This past season, 2021, Colorado State finished among the MWC’s top teams for pass defense.
Perkins, a Northglenn, Colo., native, spent two years (2017-18) as an assistant to the head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While there, he assisted defensive backs coaches Jon Hoke and Brett Maxie with player skill and development.
He spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio (2015-16), overseeing cornerbacks, and at Indiana State, where he was in charge of the secondary from 2013-14. Opponents averaged just 177 passing yards per game his first season with the Sycamores, followed by 204 in his second year. Ohio’s defenses were among the Mid-American Conference interception leaders both of his years in Athens.
Perkins also gained further experience in the NFL as a part of the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Internship program with Tampa Bay (2016) and Tennessee (2015).
Perkins lettered at Colorado from 2008-11, appearing in 37 games. He finished his career with 236 tackles, which ranks 50th all-time and 15th among defensive backs in Colorado’s history books. He was honored with Colorado’s Eddie Crowder Leadership Award during his junior season.
ANTHONY PERKINS
Appointment: Cornerbacks
Education: Colorado, 2010 – bachelor's in integrative physiology. Second major in history in 2011
Hometown: Northglenn, Colo.
Bowl Games: 2 (coach), 1 (player)
Coaching History: 2019-21 Colorado State, Cornerbacks; 2017-18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Assistant; 2015-16 Ohio, Cornerbacks; 2013-14 Indiana State, Secondary; 2012 Colorado, Defensive Quality Control
Perkins’ Notables:
3 – Bowl games as a student-athlete and coach
7 – Colorado State’s national pass defense ranking in 2019
236 – Career tackles at Colorado (2008-11)