3 Days until WCU Football Kickoff - Josh Perry & Joshua Collins

                                                          

It's now 3 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight two (2) Catamount players currently assigned to #3 (one offense, one defense) on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#3 Josh Perry

  

Position: Running Back
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
High School: Edgewater HS

2025 (Freshman): Played in three games as an offensive reserve, remaining eligible for a redshirt … Rushed 10 times for a combined 39 yards, adding two receptions for seven combined yards … Made his collegiate debut in the home win over Furman (Oct. 11), rushing a career-high nine times … Also saw action at The Citadel (Oct. 18) and at Chattanooga (Nov. 1) ... Named to the 2025-26 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: An all-purpose back out of central Florida who was noted for his receiving abilities as he played in the slot as a wide receiver as a prep freshman and sophomore … Rushed 139 times for 1,046 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior, adding 21 catches for 213 yards and a score … Amassed 1,259 all-purpose yards … Highlighted by Rivals.com midway through his senior season as a sleeper among top Florida recruits … Listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com … Also ran track and played basketball as a prep.

Personal: Is the son of Jonathan Perry and Nicole Perry... Has two brothers named Noah and Justin... His father, Jonathan Perry, played collegiate football at North Carolina.

                                                                      

#3 Joshua Collins

Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-1
Weight: 225
Class: Junior
Hometown: Bryson City, N.C.
High School: Swain County HS

2025 (Redshirt Freshman): Saw action in 10 of the team’s 12 seasonal games, each coming as a reserve on defense and on special teams … Credited with four total tackles, including half a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry … Made his first career tackle as part of a career-high two stops, including half a tackle for loss in the home win over Furman (Oct. 11) … Also posted tackles against Mercer (Nov. 8) and in the season-finale at VMI (Nov. 22) ... Named to the 2025-26 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

2024 (Freshman): Saw action in two games, remaining eligible for a redshirt … Made his collegiate debut against VMI (Nov. 16), rushing a career-high two times for six yards … Also played in the road win at Samford (Nov. 23) … Made the transition to linebacker during spring drills … Credited with five tackles in WCU’s annual Spring Game ... Named to the 2024-25 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Ran for 2,834 yards on 429 carries over three varsity seasons at Swain, posting 23 career touchdowns including 17 as a senior … Rushed for his single-season career-best 1,743 yards as a prep senior … Added 17 career catches for 276 yards and three scores out of the backfield … Averaged 101.7 all-purpose yards per game over his final three seasons that included 172.5 all-purpose yards per game as a senior … As a two-way player, added 213 career tackles including 87 as a junior with 26 total tackles for loss including 3.5 sacks.

Personal: Is the son of Amanda Anderson and Benji Collins... has two siblings named Isaiah and Taylor Collins