We call him Thomas. His teammates on the football team call him TP. Scouts now call him Thomas the Tank. But soon, the whole country might know Thomas Perry's name.
Around Middlebury's campus, Thomas Perry ’25 is instantly recognizable. Not just for his muscular frame, but for his trademark three glasses of milk in Proctor Dining Hall, daily 12-egg breakfast and unwavering pleasantness. This innate warmth permeated his recent press conference on Tuesday, April 15, where Perry charmed a room full of journalists with his boyish grin, easy-going humor and humble responses.
As the National Football League (NFL) draft approaches on April 24, Perry, Middlebury College's standout interior offensive lineman, is on the precipice of accomplishing something remarkable: Becoming one of the rare Division III players to make the leap to professional football. There are currently only seven Division III players in the NFL, with offensive linemen Quinn Meinerz and Ben Bartch being the most prominent. The odds would seem insurmountable to most.
NFL dreams don't typically flourish at liberal arts colleges in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). The conference doesn't even permit its teams to participate in NCAA postseason play, much less serve as a pipeline to professional football. Once the fall season ends, off-season training is limited at Middlebury, so opportunities to improve mostly fall on Perry to be self-sufficient in his individual training.
Middlebury has had just one NFL player in its history — Stephen Hauschka '07, a kicker who went on to win a Super Bowl. What makes Perry's story even more remarkable is his position; Offensive linemen from Division III rarely make it to the NFL, unlike specialists like kickers who can more easily “sneak in” to the NFL, according to Ethan Vashel ’25, a wide receiver on the football team this year.
Yet here stands Perry, a 6'3", 310-pound offensive lineman who turned heads at the East-West Shrine Bowl – the only Division III player invited. Facing defensive linemen from powerhouse SEC programs like the University of Georgia, Perry didn't just participate: He excelled. Videos of his impressive repetitions against highly-touted prospects exploded across social media. At the Shrine Bowl, the team even designed a trick play where Perry would receive the ball, something rarely afforded to offensive linemen. Suddenly, NFL scouts were adjusting their travel schedules to include stops at our small liberal arts college tucked away in the Green Mountains.
"It was an awesome experience," Perry said about competing with players he'd previously only watched on television. "I've seen these people play on TV... I loved it."
Coming from a family with strong football lineage, Perry always knew he wanted to be an NFL football player. His cousin John Moffitt played with the Seattle Seahawks and his father played defensive line at Brown University, where his uncle also played and is in the Brown football Hall of Fame.
"With my dad, like he was my first O-line coach," Perry said. "He coached me in seventh and eighth grade… He'd always try to coach me, like, 'I hate to go against guys who have really tight elbows and, like, really locked on your breastplate.'"
How does a player of Perry's caliber end up at a DIII school? Several factors worked against his D1 prospects. Perry came from a tiny high school in Killingworth, Connecticut, where competition was not at the level that typically attracts D1 scouts. According to his teammate Vashel, Perry’s high school team ran a Wing-T offense, a basic system that rarely passed the ball, giving the player almost no opportunity to develop pass-blocking skills — a critical evaluation point for college recruiters.
Another consideration is that he was considerably smaller then. Perry entered Middlebury around 250 pounds before adding 50–60 pounds of muscle mass during his collegiate career.
"The athleticism and talent were probably there in high school, but he wasn't as big," Vashel explained. "Coming to Middlebury and training more consistently around a community focused on weight training gave him a platform he wasn't exposed to at his small Connecticut school."
Ironically, he is now facing that same uphill battle again, trying to prove a small-school player can compete at the next level.
Unlike most NFL prospects, Perry didn't even have a senior year of high school football — Covid-19 canceled his final season in Connecticut. Instead of lamenting lost opportunities, Perry channeled his energy into preparation.
Perry's NFL dream became clearer during his freshman year at Middlebury.
But the true crystallizing moment came last summer while training in Frisco, Texas with Coach Duke Manyweather alongside professional offensive linemen, like Will Campbell from Louisiana State University (LSU), who is a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming draft.
"Being right there in their workouts, doing the same lifts, the same weight, the same drills and seeing this is awesome. I can do this," Perry said, the memory of realization still evident in his voice.
By the fall, Perry was back at Middlebury for a successful 6–3 season with the team, dominating any NESCAC competition that came his way. Then, from December through March Perry immersed himself in the craft of offensive line play with almost monastic dedication while most of his peers navigated J-Term and spring semester's start.
"It's been so much fun," he said. "I didn't realize how much fun it would be just to go to train, train three times a day, the whole day at the training facility. Just eat, train, eat, train."
Recently, Perry has been adapting to a position change from guard to center, showcasing versatility that increases his value to NFL teams. Perry has played guard his entire collegiate career at Middlebury, making his transition to center all the more impressive. The center position adds the technical challenge of snapping the ball while mentally reacting to the field and maintaining blocking assignments.
When asked about the adjustment to the position change, Perry enthusiastically said: "Center is awesome. I get to use my hand before anything is moving, so that's pretty cool."
The key to his success is his intense focus. Every morning, Perry wakes up to see the phrase "How are you going to get better today?" on a sign above his bed. It's not your typical dorm décor, nor is he your typical Middlebury student.
As a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major maintaining a 3.93 GPA while pursuing medical school aspirations, Perry applies the same meticulousness to his studies that he brings to the gridiron.
"You always got to make sure you're managing your time right," Perry noted. "If I have time, I got to open the textbook and use it... With Middlebury, professors have so many office hours, you just go in and say hi, and they'll help you catch up."
What further separates Perry from other high-achieving Middlebury students — and even from other draft hopefuls — is his penchant for self-imposed challenges in his free time.
"I like to do longer adventures where I try to push myself," he said with a characteristic understatement. "I've done a 100-mile bike ride. I've done a couple of 23-plus mile hikes."
These aren't casual weekend activities — they're deliberate tests of mental fortitude. NFL scouts, always searching for indicators of psychological resilience alongside physical attributes, have taken notice.
When asked how he handles the mounting pressure and attention, Perry answered, "When it comes to stress, I go disc golfing," he said to a room, sparking laughs at the press conference. "[I] just get in nature to escape any stress."
Perry's paradox — being both extraordinarily focused and disciplined, yet gentle and joyful — is part of what has made his journey a source of collective pride at Middlebury.
"My teammates have supported me the whole time, since I was a freshman. I remember my first step in the locker room at Middlebury, and seeing all the seniors and everybody on the team, and just thinking, holy cow, every one of these guys is just a great dude. Everybody's a great human being. And it just felt really amazing," Perry said with a smile.
He has a genuine connection with everyone in the program – from senior captains to first years – a unique asset he'll take with him to the NFL to elevate the culture of any team.
"It'd be a dream come true," Perry said about the prospect of being drafted. "Awesome to be able to represent Middlebury and Vermont and Connecticut and New England."
Has fame changed his daily experience on campus?
"I don't think I notice anything," Perry said. "I feel like when I go to the dining hall and get my three glasses of milk, people were already looking at me a little funny so I don't really notice too much of a difference."
For a small college unaccustomed to the spotlight of professional sports, Perry carries more than just his own aspirations. He carries the pride of a community discovering that even from the unlikeliest places, extraordinary journeys can begin.
Whether he hears his name called on draft day or pursues opportunities as an undrafted free agent, Thomas "The Tank" Perry has already rewritten what's possible for a Division III athlete with uncommon determination and a daily commitment to improvement.
Just don't expect him to boast about it. That's simply not his style.
Ting Cui '25.5 (she/her) is the Business Director.
Ting previously worked as Senior Sports Editor and Staff Writer and continues to contribute as a Sports Editor. A political science major with a history minor, she interned at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as a policy analyst and op-ed writer. She also competed as a figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hot pilates, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
