Harold Perkins capable of creating fireworks on defense

On3’s J.D. PicKell was in the holiday spirit for a recent episode of The Hard Count. In accordance with the 4th of July, the college football expert was all about the fireworks. More specifically, college football players who light up the field like a 4th of July celebration. And one of the players on PicKell’s list was none other than LSU‘s defensive star Harold Perkins.

“Harold Perkins is a firework player. He is must-see TV every single time he laces him up,” said PicKell. “That Arkansas game is probably what sticks out in our minds most clearly. Three sacks, two forced fumbles — he just took over that game. LSU’s scratching and clawing to get out of a game in Fayetteville with a win, and Harold Perkins, the freshman, is spying Malik Hornsby all day long and won them that football game.”

Perkins had several highlight games in his freshman season for the Tigers. But as the college football expert pointed out, the one that gets the most notoriety was LSU’s 13-10 victory over Arkansas. With the Razorback star quarterback KJ Jefferson absent from the contest, Arkansas turned to Hornsby to lead the program into the Battle for the Golden Boot Trophy.

Had anybody else spied on Hornsby, his athleticism would’ve shone through, likely resulting in a victory for his team. But unfortunately, Perkins had more than enough athletic ability to keep him in check. The Tigers linebacker finished the game with eight total tackles, six solo, three sacks, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. But most importantly, Perkins and LSU emerged victorious from Fayetteville, AR.

The most significant part of what Perkins did last year, for PicKell, wasn’t just about his productivity level but more so about the fact that he was just a freshman. This puts Perkins in a position to be a game wrecker for LSU for likely another two seasons.

“Harold Perkins was a freshman last year. Do we understand how ridiculous that is? Switching out the number — was 40 — is going to be four this coming season. Number four is must-see TV on the defensive side of the ball, cannot stress that enough. Watch for him to be someone that you have to game plan every single week for in the SEC. Every single week you better know where number four is lined up at. He’s going to be a problem for you, (and) he’ll wreck the game if you don’t have a plan in place.

LSU’s defense looks retooled and ready to build off their success from 2022 in 2023. Leading the charge on defense will be Perkins, who has a chance to cement his name among some of the greats to have donned the purple and gold for the Tigers. And if the sophomore linebacker can take his game to the next level this season, watch for LSU to put on a firework show throughout the season and claim one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.