LSU's Harold Perkins embraces offseason work with Blake Baker

Harold Perkins ended his second season unsure about what was next for him at LSU. Matt House and the entire defense staff was let go after one of the worst defensive seasons in LSU history, Perkins played a Sam/Nickel hybrid position and never looked comfortable, and now the general direction of his career was in question before entering his junior season.

Then Brian Kelly hired Blake Baker. Now, Perkins has had more fun learning and playing the game this spring than he has ever had at LSU.

“I love the transition,” Perkins said. “Coach Baker knows how to relate to his players. His scheme fits the defense, and I’m just excited to see where we’re going to go. I love being coached by coach Baker. He’s not always serious, but when it’s time to put that work in, we get to work. He’s real precise and he wants things done a certain way and if we’re not doing it right, he’ll go out there and show us how to do it. Instead of us walking through it, he just shows us – y’all see he’s got the cleats on.

“We have a lot more humor now. Everything is not too serious. Last year we were really serious the whole time on defense. This year, I won’t say we’re relaxed, but we joke around more, then we make sure we get that work in too.”

For Perkins, a usually quiet and relaxed player, Baker has brought out the best in him so far during the Spring, allowing him to get more comfortable even though he’s learning the Will linebacker spot on a completely new defense.

Baker has helped elevate players into All-SEC players at the linebacker position over the past few years and the hope for Harold is that will be his next step.

“It’s going well, I really like the things they have me doing so far and I’m excited about it,” Perkins said. “I’m more in the box playing Will [linebacker]. Right in the mix of the action. It’s about just trusting what you see. Trusting your eyes and being a football player and not thinking too much. That’s when I’m really good, when I’m just out there playing.”

Perkins will have to balance playing free and playing within the structure of Baker’s defense in 2024. For the third-year linebacker, it’s a massive year to help determine his future as the NFL waits to see his upcoming season.

Opponents will continue to scheme for him and try to gameplan him out of the contest, but Perkins is ready for it all and knows Baker will have him in position to make plays.

“My first year everybody didn’t really know about me, so now that they know about me, it’s harder to make plays because you’re not just out there [playing free],” Perkins said. “Now, you just have to find the right tools and keep going.”

For Perkins, the spring has shown him what 2024 could potentially be for him – a career-defining season. After bursting onto the scene in 2022, now it’s about consistency and maintaining discipline throughout the offseason.

“It’s just keeping our head down and working,” Perkins said. “Don’t listen to any outside sources and people because we’re the only ones in here who know what’s going on everyday and the only ones putting in the work, so we just have to keep working.”Collectively, as a defense, we’re all motivated. We have a lot of new faces around here and we’re not taking that as a bad thing. We’re buying into it. When you have everyone buying into it you have a good thing going on.”