Harold Perkins’ LSU visit biggest of final recruiting weekend

There’s no bigger unsigned recruit in the Class of 2022 than five-star linebacker Harold Perkins. And there’s no bigger official visit this weekend than Perkins’ scheduled trip to LSU.

Perkins dropped a recruiting bombshell when he decommitted from Texas A&M on Monday. And all the intel now indicates LSU and Florida – where he visited on Jan. 14 – are major players in Perkins’ recruitment.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, LSU has a 38.3% chance of landing the 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker out of Cypress (Texas) Cy Park.

Texas A&M, the school Perkins committed to at the Under Armour All-America Game, still is listed by the On3 RPM as the favorite with a 55.4% chance. Florida is listed with a 4.8% chance. But the move by LSU in the RPM is noticeable with his official visit this weekend to Baton Rouge on deck.

The visit sets the table for plenty of drama between the Aggies, Tigers and Gators heading into the final few hours before Signing Day.

Harold Perkins’ pick could shift momentum

Prior to his decommitment, Harold Perkins was a key part of Texas A&M’s No. 1 recruiting class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Aggies had three of the top four recruits in the country in Perkins, Powell (Tenn.) High defensive lineman Walter Nolen and Frisco (Texas) Liberty wide receiver Evan Stewart.

LSU has always been a player for Perkins. But with the coaching change in Baton Rouge, the Tigers saw their initial chances diminish. However, Brian Kelly and Co. hit the ground running with Perkins and definitely become a threat to land his commitment.

Harold Perkins currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $65,000. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time. Perkins ranks No. 25 in the High School Football NIL Rankings.

Other expected LSU visitors

Harold Perkins isn’t the only important visitor for LSU this weekend. The Tigers are also expected to host key recruits like On3 Consensus five-star safety Jacoby Mathews and On3 Consensus four-star receiver Caleb Douglas.

Mathews of Ponchatoula, La., is almost a must-get for the Tigers, especially from a perception standpoint. He’s an outstanding prospect and worthy of his five-star status. But watching him go out of state to Florida or even A&M would be a major disappointment for a new coaching staff that is trying to build a wall around the top talent in Louisiana.

The good news is that things have been trending LSU’s way for a little while with Mathews.

With Douglas, Florida had the clear edge here after his official visit on Jan. 14. But LSU is surging in the right direction. Cortez Hankton and Kelly went in-home Tuesday night, and there’s momentum behind LSU heading into the official visit.

Check out the full LSU visitor list here. For more on LSU recruiting, be sure to check out On3’s The Bengal Tiger.