What to make of LSU's decision to keep Harold Perkins Jr. at inside linebacker

There were no shortage of marquee storylines throughout the 2023 season.

The glorious denouement of the Pac-12. Georgia’s quest for a three-peat. Deion Sanders’ debut at Colorado. Texas and Florida State’s return to relevancy. Everything Michigan — from Jim Harbaugh to multiple NCAA scandals. 

But what about Harold Perkins’ usage? I’m not sure another single individual player generated more hot-button debates than how LSU opted to employ its sophomore phenom linebacker.

It’s easy to forget now, but Perkins — not quarterback Jayden Daniels — was seen as the Tigers’ top potential Heisman Trophy contender in 2023. 

The former 5-star entered last season with sky-high expectations after a tantalizing freshman year where he single-handily led LSU to a win over Arkansas to clinch the SEC West title. Perkins finished his rookie year in college with 72 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hurries and 8.5 sacks. 

He was mesmerizing.

But then the Harold Perkins hype balloon burst spectacularly in Week 1 against Florida State, as the offseason move to middle linebacker delivered disastrous results in LSU’s season-opener. 

In the 45-24 loss, Perkins rushed the passer on just seven snaps (of 58). He dropped back into coverage 28 times and looked totally lost when asked to spy on quarterback Jordan Travis. As was the case when he was a freshman, he couldn’t hold up against the run, either (season-low 39.4 PFF grade as a run defender vs. FSU). 

It was ugly, and it proved to be a bad omen for the rest of Perkins’ season, too.

Perkins would move to weakside linebacker for the remainder of the year, but at 6-1, 220 pounds, he remained a poor run defender — whether he was in the box or lining up on the edge. He still finished the year with 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, but part of the reason why Tigers head coach Brian Kelly parted ways with his entire defensive staff this offseason was because Matt House & Co., mostly wasted a year of a potential all-world talent. 

“We didn’t maximize Harold last year — and that’s not on Harold or the coaches,” Kelly told On3’s JD Pickell on Wednesday. 

“But the reality, he’s an elite athlete that we have to get on track this year. Both Harold has to play better, and our coaches have to get him involved more.”

“Where he fits within our defensive structure is going to be job one for us. Everyone who watched last year would say that’s a guy that needs to play at a higher level. That starts with coaching, and that starts with Harold really working hard this offseason.”

Well, Harold Perkins is in the news again because Kelly also announced that the junior will remain at inside linebacker for the 2024 season. 

Harold Perkins is going to play inside linebacker again.

In an interview with @theadvocatebr today, Brian Kelly explained the plan for the LSU star.

"He needs to be more involved in the linebacker fits inside… It's going to make us a better defense.”https://t.co/XsHJ88w7NX

— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) February 26, 2024

Many on social media immediately panned the news, with some griping that LSU needs to just let Perkins “pin his ears back and get to the quarterback.” Others complained that the Tigers seem more concerned with aiding Perkins further NFL Draft stock versus letting him loose on the edge.”

They’re all missing the point, though. 

Where Harold Perkins lines up exactly isn’t the issue. It’s what he’s asked to do after the ball gets snapped. 

As a freshman in 2022, Perkins rushed the passer on 163 snaps. 

As a sophomore in 2023, he rushed the passer on 162 snaps. 

The difference?

He played 773 snaps on defense last season compared to 513 as a freshman. His pass-rush rate dropped from 32% of his snaps to 21% last season. He was asked to drop into coverage nearly twice as many times (291 snaps) as he rushed the passer. 

That’s how you misuse your best player. That’s how you get axed even as a well-respected DC. It’s not about where Perkins starts on defense. It is where he finishes the play that deserves the most attention. 

In both seasons, Perkins lined up all over the field — on the defensive line, in the box as a linebacker and on the edge in the slot. He actually got worse as a run defender (59.4 grade per PFF vs. 70.3 in 2021), which further highlighted the fact he wasn’t rushing the passer enough (just 12X per game, on average). 

Perkins will have a new defensive coordinator in 2024, so now it’s up to Blake Baker to get it right with LSU’s game-wrecking playmaker. Kelly made Baker the highest-paid DC in the country this offseason after the assistant’s impressive stint at Missouri the last two years. 

Utilizing an aggressive, blitz-happy scheme, the Tigers were Top-3 in the SEC in both sacks and tackles for loss last season. Baker’s defense had a Top 10 pressure rate nationally, too. 

This should be music to Perkins’ ears. 

He doesn’t have to play solely on the edge to make an impact. Until he gets bigger and stronger, he can’t anyway. 

But Baker can turn Perkins into an enforcer as a blitzing linebacker coming from all different angles in 2024. After all, he’s being paid $2.5 million to unlock LSU’s best player, and if he does?

Lookout. 

“The key is (Perkins) has got to play fast,” Kelly told The Advocate. 

“We’ve got to be able to utilize his talent. So we’ve got to be able to help him out with that.”