Harold Perkins feels increased confidence under Blake Baker

During a recent media availability, LSU Tigers superstar linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. kept it real when sharing his thoughts about the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator, Blake Baker. When asked what the new LSU defensive coordinator has instilled into the elite pass rusher, he kept his answer simple with a one-word response.

“Confidence,” said Perkins.

Last season, confidence appeared to be fleeting for LSU. A program that typically stands tall on the fact that they consistently have one of the best defensive units in the SEC and in college football had arguably their worst statistical defensive season in the program’s history. The Tigers defense allowed close to 410 yards per game to opposing offenses. They also struggled to force turnovers in 2023, averaging just 1.1 per game. And to make matters worse, allowing opposing teams to score an average of 27.8 points per contest put LSU in the bottom three of the SEC with the Arkansas Razorbacks and Vanderbilt Commodores, two teams who failed to qualify for a bowl game.

For Perkins, the confidence wasn’t just instilled in him. He believes that Baker has helped to boost the morale of the Tigers’ defense as a whole.

“I feel like without confidence, you ain’t going to be able to go out there and do what you do best,” said Perkins. “So I say just confidence. Knowing I got him in my pocket is a great confidence booster for myself, and I’m pretty sure for my teammates, too.”

Perkins’s productivity remained relatively the same from his breakout freshman campaign to his sophomore season at LSU. Essentially, he had one more tackle in 2023 than in 2022 (from 69 to 70). However, his sack numbers declined, falling from 7.5 in his freshman season to 5.5 last year.

LSU fans will get their first chance to see what the defense can do under Bakers’ leadership when they kick off their season with a huge Top 25 showdown against the Big Ten’s USC Trojans. That matchup will likely be a true test of what the Tigers’ defense is made of as they look to stymie arguably one of the top offensive minds in college football.

LSU will take on USC on Sunday, September 1, in a primetime matchup. ESPN’s parent company, ABC, will broadcast the game, which will be held in Las Vegas, NV, at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 PM CT.