Harold Perkins could 'take off' as sophomore after breakout freshman season

Harold Perkins was a game wrecker during his freshman season at LSU but could take off after a breakout year, according to On3’s Charles Power.

The LSU linebacker could be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2023. That’s wild to think considering he might’ve just been winging it last fall.

Power broke it down and thought back to when Perkins didn’t see the field much earlier in the 2022 season.

“Yeah, I mean, you think about Harold Perkins, he was not getting a ton of playing time the first couple games of the season and they just unleashed him when they got in SEC play,” Power said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “And like you said, Paul, he wanted that Arkansas game. You remember how bad the weather was in that game and that he had like four sacks and that can really help them make the SEC Championship. So I think with the offseason and kind of learning the intricate intricacies of playing linebacker he could completely take off as a sophomore. 

“This is a guy who I think was still learning that position. He played a lot of running back in high school. So I think the LSU staff did a great job of playing to Harold Perkins’ strengths and kind of unleashing him in like a heavy, blitzing pass rushing role.

“So I think with a full offseason to really settle in and learn the defense, we could see just that highly impactful, incredible linebacker. He was arguably the best linebacker in the country as a true freshman. And I’m not even sure he really knew what he was doing out there. He’s just so athletic.”

As a freshman, Perkins finished his first season with 72 total tackles, 39 solo tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception, two pass deflections and four forced fumbles.

As a member of the Class of 2022, Perkins was a five-star recruit out of Cypress (Texas) Cy Park, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 linebacker in the class and the No. 9 overall prospect in the class.

Perkins is the biggest key to LSU’s defense. And if the Tigers want to get back to the SEC Championship and make the College Football Playoff, they’ll at least need another stellar year out of the linebacker.