Last month, star LSU football linebacker Harold Perkins announced his plans to return in 2025. Perkins, who was preseason All-SEC, tore his ACL in the win over UCLA and missed the final three months of the season.
After three years with LSU, Perkins’ career is hard to define. He signed as a five-star recruit in 2022 when Brian Kelly first arrived at LSU. His recruitment was a massive coup for a staff just taking over a program.
As a true freshman, Perkins looked like a star. His 41 pressures ranked No. 2 nationally among linebackers. His 35 stops were one of the best marks in the country among freshman defenders. He had a knack for taking over games, putting LSU on his back in the Tigers’ SEC West-clinching win over Arkansas.
He made big plays in LSU’s upset wins over Ole Miss and Alabama.
Perkins didn’t have a set role in the 2022 defense. He was an elite athlete that LSU wanted on the field. On third and long, LSU threw him out there and said, “Go make a play.”
That worked — and Perkins made a lot of plays.
In 2023, Perkins’ role was set to shift. LSU moved Perkins to a traditional inside linebacker role. It’s what Perkins was originally recruited as and it’s what Brian Kelly said Perkins wanted to play.
But there were questions.
The skills that made Perkins dynamic in 2022 couldn’t always be applied to an off-ball linebacker. There was a learning curve.
Perkins was good, but he wasn’t the elite player he was in 2022. According to PFF, he ranked fourth among SEC linebackers in coverage grade and pressures. Perkins struggled as a run defender — arguably the most important trait for a middle linebacker.
Perkins’ stop rate was near the bottom of the SEC and his average depth of tackle of 5.2 yards ranked 47th among the 51 qualified SEC linebackers.
But the struggles on the LSU defense weren’t specific to Perkins. The entire unit was lackluster as there were questions about how defensive coordinator Matt House connected with the players.
After the season, Kelly made a change. He fired House and brought in Blake Baker.
Baker had a previous stint at LSU. In 2021, as linebackers coach, Baker developed Damone Clark into one of the SEC’s top linebackers. Now he was back running the show and there was excitement about the impact he’d make on Perkins.
Perkins spoke highly of Baker, saying his system allows the players to think less and play fast.
The plan was for Perkins to remain at inside linebacker in 2024. Perkins made four starts before the ACL tear. He was inconsistent, but the playmaking ability was still there. He registered four pressures and six stops in September.
It’s hard to take much away from his 2024. It was four games in a new system.
That brings us to where we are now. What should LSU expect from Harold Perkins in 2025?
What position will Perkins play?
It’s been three years since Perkins signed and we’re still struggling to answer this. Perkins was a pass rusher in 2022 and since then, LSU’s played Perkins at weakside linebacker, strongside linebacker, and everything in between.
LSU is losing linebacker Greg Penn, but Whit Weeks and Davhon Keys are set to return. Weeks emerged as one of the SEC’s top linebackers in 2024 and Keys flashed as a true freshman. Weeks isn’t coming off the field — we know that much.
Perkins’ specific role may be gameplan dependent. In a week where LSU wants three linebackers on the field, Perkins will play a lot. Against opponents that require a 4-2-5 set, LSU may opt to role with Weeks and Keys and deploy Perkins situationally.
If Perkins takes a massive step as a run defender, he’ll be full-time next to Weeks in Baker’s defense.
If not, Perkins’ role is something like this. When LSU wants to go with heavier personnel, he’ll go in place of a fifth defensive back. When LSU needs an extra pass rusher, he’ll go on in place of Keys or a defensive tackle.
Setting fair expectations
Entering 2023, Perkins’ name was thrown around in the Heisman discussion. We got ahead of ourselves with that one.
Coming off of an injury and an inconsistent two years, it’s unfair to expect an All-American caliber season from Perkins. It’s unclear if he’ll even have the reps to put up the necessary numbers for that.
What LSU needs from Perkins is a guy who will make a play now and then. We’ve seen Perkins turn games with the snap of a finger before. Think back to his interception vs. Missouri in 2023 which completely flipped the script for the LSU defense in that game.
LSU doesn’t need Perkins to be a difference-maker maker everydown, though that would be a big boost for this defense.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: What should LSU football fans expect from Harold Perkins in 2025?
