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On3 ranks Harold Perkins as a Top 10 player in CFB

On3 imageby:Shea Dixon02/22/23

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harold-perkins
(Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

The On3 staff is breaking down the top players at each position in college football, which led off with a Top 10 overall ranking.

LSU freshman linebacker Harold Perkins landed at No. 7 on the list following an impressive debut season in 2022.

“If Drake Maye was the best freshman in the country on offense, Perkins was on defense,” said the On3 staff. “He had an absolutely massive impact as a true freshman and was a huge part of LSU winning the SEC West. Perkins might have helped the Tigers avoid an upset at Arkansas with a monster outing. He finished the year with 72 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, an interception and three pass breakups.”

While Maye was a redshirt freshman in 2022, Perkins was able to make his early impact as a true freshman this past fall.

Perkins was used in a variety of ways by LSU defensive coordinator Matt House, though his biggest impact came when he was used in the blitz, which helped lead to the double-digit tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. His sack total ranked inside the Top 5 in the SEC.

Perkins appeared in all 14 of LSU’s games, making eight starts.

Perkins was the lone linebacker to make On3’s list of Top 10 players in college football. He was ranked as the SEC’s second-best player behind Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams out of Southern Cal landed at No. 1 on the list, followed by North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. checked in at No. 3, Bowers and Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse rounding out the top five.

Michigan running back Blake Corum landed one spot ahead of Perkins, followed by Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, and Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

While Perkins was the lone LSU player ranked inside the Top 10, quarterback Jayden Daniels checked in at No. 7 on the On3 list of Top 10 quarterbacks. He was also the highest-ranked quarterback in the SEC.

The On3 countdown will continue in the coming days and weeks, and there are other names to keep an eye on.

LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers went over 1,000 yards receiving as a sophomore in 2022, while sophomore Mekhi Wingo shined on the defensive line as one of the country’s best.

There are others who could turn heads in 2023, including the return of defensive lineman Maason Smith. The former five-star prospect was set to burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2022 after starting four times and appearing in nine games as a true freshman the year prior. But a season-ending knee injury put an end to Year 2 before it began, with Smith going down with the injury on the first defensive possession of the season.

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