ESPN broadcast provides update on injuries to John Emery, Harold Perkins

Saturday night’s matchup between LSU and Florida has been chippy early, with both teams exchanging plenty of words and plenty of pushing and shoving going on in the first half. The LSU Tigers have unfortunately suffered a number of injuries. Tigers’ running back John Emery, Jr. and linebacker Harold Perkins had to exit the game due to injuries. In the second quarter, SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang updated everyone on the status of Perkins and Emery.

“Yeah, an update on John Emery, Jr. He’s out for this game, dealing with an Achilles injury. Also, guys, Harold Perkins went into the tent before the end of that last play for just a moment. He tweaked his back but obviously, came back out there and continued to rehab it. So, something to keep an eye on,” Lang said about midway through the second quarter.

Harold Perkins ended up getting injured later in the game with a lower left leg injury. He was down on the field for a minute, but was helped off the field with the assistance of trainers.

John Emery, Jr. was seen on crutches later in the game on the LSU sideline.

Emery has had a rough career with the LSU Tigers, so the Achilles injury is just the latest setback in a career that’s been full of adversity during his time in Baton Rouge. This season, he’s had 23 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown. Since 2019, Emery has racked up over 1,000 total rushing yards in his career.

Harold Perkins has emerged as one of the most dynamic defenders in all of college football the past two seasons. He had a slow start to the 2023 campaign, but LSU coaches finally adjusted his usage and his production returned to the same impressive form we saw out of him as a freshman. Perkins has racked up 56 tackles so far this year with 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, and five pass breakups.

Much was expected out of Perkins coming out of high school, where he was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 9 overall prospect in the country in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He didn’t disappoint his freshman season at LSU, becoming one of the top freshmen defenders in Tiger football history. Perkins not only earned freshman All-American honors, but first team All-SEC honors from the AP. He finished the 2022 campaign with 72 tackles and led the team in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (7.5).