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Brian Kelly's update on Weeks, Perkins for LSU's spring practices

On3 imageby:Matthew Brune•02/26/25•

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Harold Perkins LSU
Harold Perkins LSU

A pair of LSU linebackers continue to rehab and recover from injuries suffered last season as Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins are set to miss spring ball and expect to be fully cleared for workouts in June, LSU head coach Brian Kelly told The Advocate.

Perkins missed the final nine games of the season after tearing his ACL in the fourth game of the season against UCLA in Tiger Stadium. Based on normal timelines of ACL recoveries, it was unlikely he was ever going to participate in the spring, but it is now official. The Tigers’ star linebacker is set to move to the STAR position this offseason as Blake Baker looks to get him into aggressive positions to make more plays.

“We’re gonna put Perkins at STAR, but I think it’s kind of good. I do think he’s more comfortable at STAR. I think he gives us a little more position flexibility,” Baker said in his exclusive interview with The Bengal Tiger. “I’m really, really excited for (Perkins), and I do think … in a weird way … it could have been the best thing to happened to him. I think it helps that [he and Whit] are in the same room because the more you’re around someone, the more you understand how to feed off each other’s personality, so I think they play off each other really well, and I think they have a lot of respect for each other being in the same position.”

Weeks was LSU’s leading tackler and one of the most productive linebackers in the SEC this past season as a sophomore, but in the bowl game he suffered a dislocated ankle and a broken fibula that will hold him out for the spring season. With his production and talent level there is not a rush to get him back on the field to make sure he heals fully and is good for the fall to start once again.

Weeks heads into the 2025 season with 174 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss in 24 games played, while Perkins brings 164 tackles and 27.5 tackles for loss in 31 games played.

The combination of a healthy Perkins and a healthy Weeks will certainly go a long way towards upping the production from the LSU defense under Baker in Year 2 of his time as defensive coordinator, and it’s a 1-2 punch that comes with a chemistry that LSU’s headman on defense thinks isn’t being talked about enough.

“I think when Whit’s being high energy, it allows Perk to kind of be more of himself and kind of in the weeds. Then whenever Perk does go off, I promise you, Whit’s gonna be the first one on his helmet.

“I think it’s a good ying-yang.”

LSU continues to deal with some offseason injuries that will linger into the spring, including defenisve tackle Jacobian Guillory, but the hope is that with the influx of talent and the new faces on the roster, the competition will be at a high level in the coming months to help build a contender in Baton Rouge.

Here’s the latest injuries to know and players coming off injuries on LSU’s roster in 2025.

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